Pacific island avian extinctions: the taphonomy of human predation

We propose a strategy for evaluating the contribution of human predation to the depletion of endemic birds on Pacific islands. Humans reduced avian populations indirectly through habitat alteration, for which there is much archaeological evidence. However, direct evidence of human predation and its role in avian extinctions has seldom been critically evaluated. Because many archaeological sites containing bird bones occur in nesting locales such as coastal dunes and rockshelters, distinguishing naturally from culturally deposited material is crucial. We address this problem by analyzing bird bones from nine archaeological sites on Moloka'i, Hawaiian Islands. Species composition, weathering, non‐human predation, burning, element frequencies, and modification are considered. Similarity between archaeological and replicated breakage suggests human consumption of some extirpated bird species. We couple these results with converging, independent lines of evidence to identify human predation in avian assemblages from Moloka'i. We stress that determining the chronology of avian extinctions is best accomplished by directly dating bird bones with butchering marks and other evidence of human consumption.