Past Distribution of the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla (Linnaeus, 1758)) in Bulgaria – Subfossil Record

Abstract

The oldest remains of the White-tailed eagle in Bulgaria came from the Neolithic-Chalcolithic (6000–4000 BC). Five Holocene localities of the species have been established in the country, in which a total of 24 bone finds of at least 10 individuals have been found. It is thought that, as in other countries in Europe, from at least the Iron Age to the late Middle Ages, large primaries and rectrices of these eagles were used to produce stabilizers for the hunting arrows of ancient hunters. All localities are located in North Bulgaria along the Danube and Black Sea coasts, but always adjacent to another water body (lake, marsh or river).