Late Pleistocene fossil birds from Buso Doppio del Broion Cave (North-Eastern Italy): Implications for palaeoecology, palaeoenvironment and palaeoclimate

The taxonomic and taphonomic analysis of the bird fossil remains from Buso Doppio del Broion Cave (Vicenza), located in the Berici Hills in North-Eastern Italy, are presented herein. The investigated deposits are referred to the end of MIS 3 and the boundary with MIS 2, in a phase of climate harshening. At least 44 species have been identified in the study, which indicate the presence of a wide variety of environments in the surroundings of the cave, such as conifer or mixed forests, open areas with rocky cliffs or crags, grasslands, steppes and slow flowing water bodies. Of particular interest are two Boreal taxa, Bubo scandiacus and Surnia ulula, which are considered markers of a colder climate than the present one. The S. ulula specimen represents the second Pleistocene fossil record of this species in Italy, attesting the presence of this taxon across the MIS 3/MIS 2 boundary, at least in the southern fringes of the Alps. Furthermore, the deposit provided the first Italian Pleistocene fossil remains of Troglodytes troglodytes and Phoenicurus ochruros. This contribution provides noteworthy new data about the southward range shift of Boreal bird species during the cold phases of the Pleistocene and gives new insights into the palaeoenvironment and palaeoclimate of North-Eastern Italy at the end of MIS 3 and the onset of the Last Glacial Maximum.