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Toasted pigeon was a favourite dish of Neanderthals, who unlike their brutish reputation, had the brains and skill to catch the birds.

The discovery was made after an excavation of Gorham's Cave where Neanderthals are thought to have lived for nearly 100,000 years ago.

Archaeologists unearthed leftovers of Neanderthal feasts, which included pigeon bone, in sediments that built up between 28,000 and 67,000 years ago on the east face of Gibraltar.

Roasted pigeon was a favourite dish of Neanderthals. Pictured here are cut marks found on the excavated pigeon bones, possibly made with stone tools used during cooking

Researchers believe the Neanderthals hunted wild pigeons, possibly by climbing steep cliffs to reach raid their nests.

So far, 150 ancient bird species have been identified from bones found in the cave sediments. Many were of rock doves, the ancestors of modern feral pigeons.

Twenty eight of the pigeon bones had cuts from stone tools and 15 had tooth marks.

So far, 150 ancient bird species had been identified from bones found in the cave sediments. Twenty eight of the pigeon bones had cuts from stone tools (pictured) and 15 had tooth marks

The discovery in Gorham's Cave, GIbraltar where Neanderthals are thought to have lived 100,000 years ago

Some also had signs of charring, which may have been created when the meat cooked on an open fire.

These signs were on the pigeon wing and leg bones where the best meat could be found.

The thicker bones had puncture marks from smaller bones, which can be caused when chicken wings twisted to get to the meat.'

'They liked what we like and went for the breasts, the drumsticks and the wings,' study author Clive Finlayson, director of the Gibraltar Museum, told journalists of the bone analysis.

'They had the knowledge and technology to do this.' 

Professor Finlayson said the bone analysis added to a growing body of evidence that Neanderthals were more sophisticated than was once widely believed.

So far, 150 ancient bird species have been identified from bones found in the cave sediments. Many were of rock doves, the ancestors of modern feral pigeons

'This makes them even more human,' he said.'

In June, researchers at MIT reported evidence from 50,000-year-old Neanderthal poo that those living in southern Spain also ate nuts and vegetables.

Other researchers recently found plant microfossils trapped in Neanderthal teeth - a finding that suggests the species may have led a more complex lifestyle, harvesting and cooking a variety of plants in addition to hunting prey.

It was not known how the birds in this latest study were captured, though the team speculated they would have been relatively easy to snatch from their nests 'by a moderately skillful and silent climber'.

The researchers conceded the scorch marks were not conclusive proof of cooking, as they could be from waste disposal or accidental burning. 

'Traditionally in human history, the pigeon has been considered a symbol of peace, love, and fertility, three attributes that are deeply interwoven,' the researchers said.

'Its origins may well have been with the Neanderthals who exploited this very fertility in a way that allowed them to target them for food without depleting their numbers.'

It was not known how the birds in this latest study were captured, though the team speculated they would have been relatively easy to snatch from their nests 'by a moderately skillful and silent climber'