Correlation between the wing length of living birds and measurements of their bones.

An indirect method useful in identifying fossil and recent bird bone remains is described. In birds belonging to one group (genus, family) of similar body plan, various measurements of the bones are correlated with wing length. The latter parameter may be easily found in ornithological literature. The minimal and maximal measurements of the wing length compared with the minimal and maximal measurements of a bone, show linear arrangement in diagrams. It enables us to estimate the wing length on the basis of the size of a bone which may be helpful in determining the taxonomic position of the bone - even if the species is not represented in osteological collections.