Citation: Kolenc, M.; Piplica, A.; ˇ Celhar, M.; Trbojevi´ c Vukiˇ cevi´ c, T.; Ðuras, M.; Vrbanac, Z.; Korpes, K. Bird Exploitation and Chicken Size in the Late Medieval and Early Modern Periods in Continental Croatia. Quaternary 2024, 7, 30. https:// doi.org/10.3390/quat7030030 Academic Editors: Juan Manuel López García and Yolanda Fernández Jalvo Received: 25 March 2024 Revised: 8 June 2024 Accepted: 4 July 2024 Published: 10 July 2024 Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). quaternary Article Bird Exploitation and Chicken Size in the Late Medieval and Early Modern Periods in Continental Croatia Magdalena Kolenc 1, * , Aneta Piplica 2 , Martina ˇ Celhar 3 , Tajana Trbojevi´ c Vukiˇ cevi´ c 1 , Martina Ðuras 1 , Zoran Vrbanac 4 and Kim Korpes 1 1 Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; tajana@vef.unizg.hr (T.T.V.); martina.duras@vef.unizg.hr (M.Ð.); kkorpes@vef.unizg.hr (K.K.) 2 Department of Animal Breeding and Livestock Production, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; apiplica@vef.unizg.hr 3 Department of Archaeology, University of Zadar, Mihovila Pavlinovi´ ca 1, 23000 Zadar, Croatia; celhar.martina@gmail.com 4 Department of Radiology, Ultrasound Diagnostics and Physical Therapy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; zvrbanac@vef.unizg.hr * Correspondence: mkolenc@vef.unizg.hr Abstract: The significance of birds in the medieval human diet has been greatly explored in Europe. However, there is a lack of systematic analysis of data from Croatia. Avian remains dated to the Late Medieval and Early Modern Periods from five archaeological sites in continental Croatia underwent skeletal and taxonomic analysis. Age groups were determined and sex identification was conducted using visual and X-ray diagnostics. Chicken bone measurements were taken, and the logarithmic size index (LSI) technique was performed. Statistical analysis was applied to explore differences between sites. A total of 694 avian remains were studied, revealing 10 species/genera. Avian remains ranged from 8.88% to 20.32% across sites, with the highest percentage found at the urban site BAN. Hens outnumbered cockerels across all sites, with adult chickens prevailing over immature and subadult ones. Chicken sizes were generally consistent across sites, except for castle MIL, where a larger breed was identified. Cockerels tended to be larger than hens, except for one small-sized spurred specimen. To conclude, bird exploitation complemented the use of other animals in diets. Chickens were vital for eggs and meat, with monasteries excelling in bird husbandry over castles. Inhabitants of urban areas mainly consumed bird meat. Castles showed high status through game and imported birds. The aim of this article was to fill in the gap of information regarding the exploitation and consumption of birds at Croatian sites during the Late Medieval and Early Modern Periods. Keywords: birds; medieval period; Early Modern Period; archaeozoology; size; Croatia 1. Introduction Throughout history, birds have always been part of human everyday life. Archaeolog- ical evidence has shown that they were considered symbolic and sacrifice animals in the past [1–6] as well as food sources [3,7]. From the Neolithic, wild birds were hunted for meat, mostly in small quantities, but from the 500 BC onward, when domestic chicken became more widespread, bird meat became more important in the human diet [7]. As well as for bird meat, which was used as a protein source, birds were exploited for egg production, feathers, fat, and liver, whereas bones were crafted into tools. Moreover, trained birds took part in hawking and cockfighting and were bred as companion animals [7]. Birds were very rarely the primary source of protein [8], which is nowadays true for most European countries. They served as an addition to the meat diet based mainly on domestic mammals such as pigs, cattle, sheep, and goat and were not classified in the same category as the meat of quadruped animals in medieval Europe [3,9]. Quaternary 2024, 7, 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/quat7030030 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/quaternary