RT Journal Article
T1 A standardized osteometric method for identifying Iberian raptors from skeletal remains
A1 Miguel Batuecas, Andrea
A1 De Pablo Moreno, Juan Andrés
A1 Fuertes Recuero, Manuel
A1 Fuentes Díaz, Ariana
A1 González González, Fernando
A1 Suárez Regalado, Laura
A1 García-Matarranz, Victoriano
A1 Revuelta Rueda, Luis
AB Raptors suffer high mortality rates due to anthropogenic threats, such as electrocution from power lines or lead poisoning, so the specific identification of skeletal remains is essential for establishing monitoring and protection programmes. This study developed and validated a standardized osteometric method for measuring long bones and craniopelvic bones from skeletal remains to identify raptor species. A database of 26 species of Iberian raptors (n = 853) was developed based on 11 measurements of 9 bones, including the ulna, sternum, femur, humerus, tarsometatarsus, tibiotarsus, and radius, as well as the synsacrum length and postacetabular ilium width and length and width of the skull. Missing values were estimated using multiple linear regression, and canonical discriminant analysis was applied to correct and modify the databases. Cross-validation was added to this analysis. Additionally, the obtained model was verified using external radiographs. The highest percentage of success was obtained with the tarsometatarsus-ulna combination (94.53%), followed by tarsometatarsus-radius (94.05%) and tarsometatarsus-humerus (93.02%), when two bone lengths were combined. When a third measurement was incorporated, the tarsometatarsus-ulna-femur combination achieved a 99.45% correct classification rate. In blind verification testing, the radiographs of 15 individuals, the tarsometatarsus-ulna model correctly classified all samples, achieving a 100% success rate. These results show that the study method provides a simple and replicable protocol for identifying raptor species from incomplete skeletal remains. This optimizes the monitoring of mortality and supporting conservation measures.
PB Elsevier
SN 0034-5288
YR 2026
FD 2026
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/133742
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/133742
LA eng
NO Andrea Miguel-Batuecas, Juan A. De Pablo-Moreno, Manuel Fuertes-Recuero, Ariana Fuentes-Díaz, Fernando González, Laura Suárez, Victoriano García-Matarranz, Luis Revuelta, A standardized osteometric method for identifying Iberian raptors from skeletal remains, Research in Veterinary Science, Volume 203, 2026, 106121, ISSN 0034-5288, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2026.106121.
NO Contribución de autores:Andrea Miguel-Batuecas: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Conceptualization. Juan A. De Pablo-Moreno: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization. Manuel Fuertes-Recuero: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Investigation, Formal analysis, Conceptualization. Ariana Fuentes-Díaz: Writing – review & editing, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization. Fernando González: Writing – review & editing, Methodology, Investigation, Funding acquisition, Conceptualization. Laura Suárez: Writing – review & editing, Methodology, Investigation, Conceptualization. Victoriano García-Matarranz: Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Data curation. Luis Revuelta: Writing – review & editing, Project administration, Methodology, Investigation, Funding acquisition, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization.
NO Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico (España)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 20 mar 2026