TAFORALT, MOROCCO—A study published by England’s Natural History Museum has shown that the now critically endangered great bustard once roamed in great numbers across what is now eastern Morocco and was an important part of the lives of the region’s prehistoric residents. Researchers are studying remains of great bustards from a cemetery dating to about 15,000 years ago at the site of Taforlat—also known as the Cave of the Pigeons—which is the oldest cemetery in North Africa. At the time, people in this region were transitioning between a hunter-gatherer and settled lifestyle and were burying their dead in the cave. As part of the rituals associated with these burials, they appear to have been eating giant bustards. “We see a strong cultural association with the great bustard because the people are not only depositing them in burials, but there’s also evidence that they were eating them as well,” says study leader Joanne Coooper, senior curator of avian anatomical collections at the museum. “We believe that was part of the funeral rites.” Male great bustards can weigh up to 45 pounds and the birds require large grasslands to find enough to eat. Because the availability of these feeding grounds has been greatly impacted by intensive agricultural and human occupation, the giant bustard is now nearly extinct. Cooper and her team hope that their research in Morocco—the only place in Africa where giant bustards survive—will lead to a better understanding of these birds and their place in the region’s history. To read the scholarly article about this research, go to Ibis. To read about the Egyptian ibis, another bird species important in the lives of ancient North Africans, go to “Birds of a Feather.”
