Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Masked shrike/archive1

The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted by Ian Rose via FACBot (talk) 08:40, 5 November 2014 (UTC) [1].[reply]

Masked shrike

Nominator(s): Jimfbleak - talk to me? 14:23, 19 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

This pretty little bird specialises in impaling its prey on thorns or barbed wire, and featured in The Great Escape. What's not to like? Jimfbleak - talk to me? 14:23, 19 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed, nice to see poor old Blythe getting a guernsey here... ;-) Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 08:39, 5 November 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Media check - all OK (CC)

all images and soundfile have sufficient source and author information - OK.
Map has source information for content verification - OK.
tweaked a caption for clarity and changed the "Juvenile" image information following your move. GermanJoe (talk) 14:53, 19 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for that, Joe Jimfbleak - talk to me? 16:35, 19 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Support - article appears to be comprehensive, well-written and -referenced. Some minor comments:

I am not a topic expert (disclaimer on more complex details).
Publisher location can usually be omitted, when it's a part of the publisher name (f.e. "Berlin: Zoologisches Museum in Berlin." or "Oxford:Oxford University"). Or skip the publisher location altogether as optional info.
I don't see the usage for "Cuvier" (it's quite aged too). Move to Further reading?
Lichtenstein is also an old source, but only used as uncontroversial list record. Should be OK.
Assuming the article uses summary references for multiple sentences (?), referencing looks good.

(I like File:Maskedshrikeinhand.JPG: such a cute, adorable little thing. So innocent ...) GermanJoe (talk) 17:52, 19 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks Joe. I've removed Cuvier, left over from an earlier draft. I'm aware that there are options with publishers, but it's easier for me to stick with the belt and braces I always use, thanks again Jimfbleak - talk to me? 06:25, 20 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Comments from Aa77zz

This short article is to the usual high standard. The available information is obviously limited; Harris & Franklin start one section with "not well known" two others with "Little known". GermanJoe has picked up a couple of my meagre list of nit-picks.

Mauretanian -> Mauritanian (they are not the same)

Schoolboy error, fixed Jimfbleak - talk to me? 07:14, 20 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

tomial teeth - needs a link - there is a wiki page for tomium. Has a bird 1 or 2 or just a tomium? Snippet view of the cited source Lefranc & Worfolk indicates p23 rather than p22.

added teeth to description section, clarified number, fixed ref Jimfbleak - talk to me? 07:14, 20 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

"about 353,000 km2 (136,294 sq mi)" This needs to be rounded: 136,000 sq mi.

Yes, missed this one Jimfbleak - talk to me? 07:14, 20 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The article could help the reader with a link to: Clement, Peter. Identification pitfalls... (which appears to be open access)

Yes, I'd linked the other BB refs, but missed this one, fixed Jimfbleak - talk to me? 07:14, 20 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

"and a ring of brown markings at the wide end": from the photo the ring seems to be around the centre.

I've removed location since the image contradicts the text Jimfbleak - talk to me? 07:14, 20 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

This reference may be marginally better for the first British sighting first British sighting

Agree, done Jimfbleak - talk to me? 07:14, 20 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Harris & Franklin (p180) claim the bird is monogamous - but do they really know? They also state that for the second clutch the birds demolish the first nest to build new one. Aa77zz (talk) 19:53, 19 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Monogamy is the general rule with shrikes, (Harris and Franklin p.16.), and even in 2000 it was probably well known for this species, which occurs in reasonably open habitats in Europe. It would be surprising if Nikolov had missed polygyny in his detailed study of breeding behaviour, so I don't see any reason to doubt this. Added demolition Jimfbleak - talk to me? 07:14, 20 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for review and suggested improvements Jimfbleak - talk to me? 07:14, 20 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The article summarises all the available information and the sources are all of high quality.
Support - nicely done. But why this species? Aa77zz (talk) 07:33, 20 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Many thanks. I saw the Fife bird, the first for Britain, and recently had a run out to Yorkshire, taking in the masked shrike at Spurn, the third for Britain, as well as some other migrants. I've got Harris & Franklin, but had never done a shrike FA, and I like Donald Pleasance. I might do another old building next for a change, perhaps the local church or ruined castle. Jimfbleak - talk to me? 08:18, 20 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Comments from Cas Liber

Must be Corvoidea month at FAC...anyway, some comments...

~~I reckon it'd flow better/be more engaging if Lichtenstein and Temminck had their first names and descriptors at first mention.~~

~~Are you sure "the typical shrikes" needs quotation marks? Looks a bit odd - alternately just around the "typical"?~~

Nothing else is jumping out at me - will take another look later. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 12:20, 22 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for comments so far, Cas, I've implemented all your suggestions Jimfbleak - talk to me? 14:22, 22 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Hmm, tentative support on comprehensiveness and prose. can't see any specific clangers outstanding......Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 20:24, 22 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Many thanks for support Jimfbleak - talk to me? 06:27, 23 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Support. Well-written and well-referenced article. --Carioca (talk) 20:33, 22 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for kind words and support Jimfbleak - talk to me? 06:27, 23 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Comments from Crisco 1492
- Per WP:LEADLENGTH, you may want to consider trimming your lead.

Trimmed a bit and condensed to two paragraphs Jimfbleak - talk to me? 06:33, 25 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

- Why are you not linking countries but linking continents? One would think the reverse would be better

Link to "Africa" left over from the original version removed now Jimfbleak - talk to me? 06:33, 25 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

- a practice that has led to "butcher-bird" as a description of many shrikes. - feels awkward — Crisco 1492 (talk) 15:31, 24 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

removed as part of the lead trimming since it's mentioned elsewhere anyway Jimfbleak - talk to me? 06:34, 25 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your review and comments. I hope you noticed the film section, although sadly it wasn't an Indonesian release :( Jimfbleak - talk to me? 06:33, 25 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

It only occupies the high exposed branches favoured by other shrikes at the start of the breeding season, - I read this at first as the other shrikes favouring the branches at the start of the mating season, rather than the masked shrikes favouring these branches at the start of their breeding season. Perhaps a way to rework?

Rephrased to clarify Jimfbleak - talk to me? 09:58, 25 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

a light flight - what is a light flight?

It's a fairly standard term, for example to contrast the easy flight of, say, a swallow with the more laboured heavy progress of a woodpecker. Rephrased anyway Jimfbleak - talk to me? 09:58, 25 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

a background or grey, cream or yellow, diffuse grey blotches - a background or grey - is this correct? — Crisco 1492 (talk) 09:02, 25 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

No, I must have read that dozens of times without it registering, fixed now Jimfbleak - talk to me? 09:58, 25 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Support - Very good work. Thank you. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 10:25, 25 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Many thanks Jimfbleak - talk to me? 12:18, 25 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Closing note: This candidate has been promoted, but there may be a delay in bot processing of the close. Please see WP:FAC/ar, and leave the {{featured article candidates}} template in place on the talk page until the bot goes through. Ian Rose (talk) 08:40, 5 November 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.