Morocco is home to the last remaining population of great bustards in Africa, consisting of 72 to 78 birds that are now genetically distinct from their Iberian relatives. A recent discovery traces their presence in the region back to 14,700 BCE, providing evidence of their role in ritual funerary practices. Threatened on a global scale, the great bustard (Otis tarda), genetically distinct from the Iberian population of the same species, has been endemic to Morocco for approximately 14,700 years. A new study provides unprecedented evidence of its long-standing presence, linked to the lifestyles of prehistoric humans, through an assemblage of fossils recovered from Taforalt Cave in the Beni-Snassen region (Oriental). These findings confirm not only the species' presence since the Late Pleistocene but also its overexploitation by humans for both nutritional and ritual purposes. Published on March 18 in the scientific journal International Journal of Avian Science, this study highlights how recognizing the species' ancient status in Morocco enhances its significance and could help strengthen conservation efforts. According to forecasts, extinction could occur as early as 2026, but the new findings offer hope for increased awareness and preservation efforts. Currently, the country's population of great bustards is estimated at just 72 to 78 birds, found in the Tangier region and adjacent floodplains. This group represents the only remaining population of its kind in Africa. New Insights into Human Use of Bustards Excavations at Taforalt have provided crucial historical and scientific perspectives on the existence of this species. The site, known as the Cave of the Pigeons, yielded more than 150 bird remains, representing at least 14 distinct taxa in one of the excavation areas (Sector 10) between 2005 and 2022. The most recent study examined elements up to 2022, consisting mainly of individual discoveries recorded in situ during excavations. Researchers compared the bustard remains from Taforalt Cave with osteological specimens of the African houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata), the great bustard, the kori bustard (Ardeotis kori), and the Arabian bustard (Ardeotis arabs). Four of these discoveries were carbon-dated by the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, selecting bones from different individuals and from remains found in two separate human burial areas. The extensive assemblage of «Great Bustards from the cemetery cave at Taforalt now confirms the species as a breeding resident of the Maghreb during the Late Pleistocene, ca. 14 700 years before the present». The study reinforces the idea that the species has occupied Morocco for thousands of years. Its preference for open steppes and plains, combined with the possibility that it survived in a glacial refuge in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, suggests a southward range shift, as has been observed in many Palaearctic birds in response to environmental changes. The study also highlights the cultural importance of the great bustard to the prehistoric inhabitants of Taforalt. The high concentration of bustard remains in the prehistoric necropolis suggests that the great bustard had cultural significance for the inhabitants of the Cave of the Pigeons, beyond its mere nutritional value. Researchers describe a significant presence of pieces of these large birds, widely butchered and abandoned in burial pits and adjacent deposits, which may indicate a feast at the time of the funerals. «The possibility that the living shared valued food items with the dead is attested to by the presence of the large cut-marked sternum adjacent to the feet and legs of an adult human male», they explain. «This inclusion, its position undisturbed by later inhumations, appears to represent the deliberate placement of a meat-rich food offering within the burial, while the bitten humerus is evidence that people were also eating similarly prime parts», teh researchers said. They highlight a set of hunting and social practices related to the use of the great bustard on these occasions, pointing to its role in ritual consumption. The Conservation Issue Brought Back to the Forefront The study underscores that the decline of bustard species today is closely linked to human activity, particularly hunting. It states that 58% of the 26 species in this family face a high risk of extinction. The researchers recall that the great bustard is classified as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List and is very close to extinction in Morocco. Historically, the little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) was more widespread in the country, but it too is now on the brink of extinction. «The endemic northwest African subspecies of Arabian Bustard died out in the last century», the researchers note, attributing this to «combination of hunting, disturbance and habitat loss through agricultural intensification, recently compounded by collisions with powerlines, has proved catastrophic for these species». The assemblage discovered at Taforalt constitutes unequivocal evidence of human exploitation of great bustards, providing the oldest evidence of such interactions. Regarding conservation efforts, the researchers stress that a national action plan has highlighted the need to raise awareness and strengthen commitment to this effect, citing the cultural importance of the species. They further emphasize that such awareness and commitment at local and national levels have proven crucial for the conservation of other species, such as the Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) in Morocco. The researchers hope that the discoveries made at the Cave of the Pigeons will receive widespread dissemination, increasing public understanding of the great bustard's significance and encouraging greater support for conservation efforts.
