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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 GrahamColm 10:01, 2 May 2013 (UTC) [1].[reply]

Nauru Reed Warbler

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Nauru Reed Warbler (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

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Nominator(s): J Milburn (talk), Jimfbleak - talk to me? 10:36, 16 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

The only bird species endemic to the tiny island nation of Nauru. Though a lot of sources spend much time saying how little the species has been studied, Jim and I have been able to round up a fair amount of information, much of which has only been published comparatively recently. I picked up the article as a stub, received an excellent GA review from FunkMonk, and then recruited Jim for help pushing it the extra mile. Two quick clerical notes: I'm waiting on a photograph which may or may not be forthcoming, and the "further reading" articles are not cited in the main body because they are made up of specialist information about collections and historical observations, rather than general interest information about the species itself. I'll do my best to respond to comments quickly. Thanks for reading! J Milburn (talk) 10:36, 16 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Support Comments This article looks fantastic, particularly for a species that has generated limited research. I've given a quick copyedit; please make sure I didn't mess anything up and/or botch a British English difference. I've left a few nitpicks below.

  • In the second paragraph of taxonomy and systematics, you say that two authors formerly considered the Nauru Reed Warbler to be a subspecies. Have both authors published later works that include it as a distinct species, or is the formally to imply that this is considered an outdated view?
Removed formerly, since next para clearly gives current thinking Jimfbleak - talk to me? 19:02, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • In The Handbook of Birds of the World's Volume 11, p. 628 states that an additional common name for the species is the "Nauru/Pleasant Warbler." I have never seen a bird name with a "/" in it before and was wondering if you knew what it was talking about.
I assume they mean additional names Nauru or Pleasant Warbler. I'll add these as synonyms (done) Jimfbleak - talk to me? 19:02, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Good call, and seems consistent with rest of the entries. I moved the information to the synonyms section as it doesn't seem to be a commonly-used alternate name and I think it would be unweighty to leave in the lede. I also recited the encyclopedia go give credit to the author; please check that it is right and I didn't mess up ref consistency. Looks good otherwise, and changing to support. Rufous-crowned Sparrow (talk) 19:43, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Tweaked it, thanks. Nauru was originally sometimes called Pleasant Island, though, as far as I can tell, the name is no longer used. J Milburn (talk) 21:14, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • In the third paragraph of Description most of the species lose the "reed" part of their name. Why is that, and if Nauru Warbler is an acceptable synonym why is it not listed as such in the Taxonomy section?
  • In the first paragraph of Distribution and habitat there is a quote that is not immediately followed by a citation.
  • What is A. Pearson's (behavior and ecology) first name?

Thanks for writing such a fantastic article, and good luck. Rufous-crowned Sparrow (talk) 18:10, 17 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

And thanks again for your review and support Jimfbleak - talk to me? 05:57, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Image check - all OK (map, own work, ARM). Sources and authors provided. GermanJoe (talk) 07:48, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for image review Jimfbleak - talk to me? 09:54, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Comment - a nice, comprehensive article very close to FA (i learn alot about passerines here on Wiki). Just some prose nitpicks and questions for clarification:

  • Lead "...all of which evolved from one of several [radiations] of the genus across the Pacific." => It's clear in context, but is "radiations" used as a common term or has it a taxonomic meaning? Link possible?
Well, a bit of both; I've linked to adaptive radiation, but the basic meaning is what you would expect. Jimfbleak - talk to me? 09:17, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • Taxonomy "In 1881, he reported on species he had observed, including a reed-warbler he initially identified as the Carolinian Reed Warbler, although in 1883, he described it as a new species, Calamoherpe rehsei." => I am not sure how, but this sentence could be improved. It doesn't flow well with lots of sub-clauses and small tidbits of information.
Now "His 1881 report included a warbler he initially identified as the Carolinian Reed Warbler. By 1883 he considered it to be a new species, Calamoherpe rehsei" Jimfbleak - talk to me? 09:54, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • "[It is probable that] the first part of the name may have been thought in error to mean "sharp-pointed", referring to the angular head shape typical of this genus." => Could be trimmed a bit. The first qualifier adds little, the view is described as error anyway.
Done Jimfbleak - talk to me? 09:17, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • Image caption "...though the two [are] sometimes considered conspecific." => Past tense? Lead and main text describe this view as outdated, albeit only some years ago.
Done Jimfbleak - talk to me? 09:17, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • Distribution "It [] also [commonly] observed ..." => Missing word. Also you have "common" here 4 times in close proximity.
Added "is", used synonyms for "common" Jimfbleak - talk to me? 09:17, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • "The extinction of the annañ may have been due to loss of swampy habitats ..." - If the annan is a Nauru Reed Warbler, what's the connection with swamps here? The article describes its habitat as rocky scrubland and patches of forest.
Good catch, the source actually says this, despite getting the habitat right. I've just left the safe bet of cats as the reason for extinction Jimfbleak - talk to me? 09:38, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • "The nests are bound to upright stems in a way typical of warblers." => An image would be great to illustrate that (optional of course).
Good idea, my collaborator is the image guru, but I've added a nest image for now Jimfbleak - talk to me? 09:31, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • Status "Nauru Reed Warblers were observed to be common on the island, and [were observed to be flourishing] in the scrubland left by mining." => Simply "flourish" (or an ellipsis) to avoid the awkward repetition.
Done Jimfbleak - talk to me? 09:23, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • "For conservation purposes, [the IUCN recommends] regular surveys of the population and the establishment of a monitoring programme, through training of people local to the species's range. Further, [they recommend] raising conservation awareness by increasing the profile of the bird." => Singular - plural shift, also repetition recommends ... recommend. GermanJoe (talk) 08:49, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
As suggested, and generally tightened those two sentences Jimfbleak - talk to me? 09:23, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for review and comments, all done. Jimfbleak - talk to me? 09:54, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the review, Joe, and well done Jim on beating me to it! J Milburn (talk) 10:05, 18 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Support - just a few remaining nitpicks and 1 check, not withholding support:

Thanks for your review and your support! J Milburn (talk) 09:15, 22 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for support from me too Jimfbleak - talk to me? 09:52, 22 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • support (moral or otherwise) - looked through and tried to find tweaks or nitpicks and failed - looks all good on prose and comprehensiveness. All teh pacific colonisation stuff is fascinating. Casliber (talk · contribs) 01:28, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks Cas Jimfbleak - talk to me? 06:02, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Support Comments by Yzx

  • I found the phylogenetics confusing. ...the Nauru Reed Warbler forms a clade with the other Micronesian reed warblers—the Australian Reed Warbler, the Bokikokiko and the Marquesan Reed Warbler. Yet its closest relative is a subspecies of the Nightingale Reed Warbler, which is not listed as part of the above clade? Or is it? And if it isn't, does that mean it's in one of the two Polynesian clades? But the intro says that it's found on a neighboring island? And so is the Carolinian Reed Warbler, but that isn't listed in the above Micronesian clade either? I think adding in a cladogram would be greatly helpful.
I've rewritten to try to make it clearer. The Pagan bird appears not to be a Nightingale Reed Warbler, and because of multiple colonisations, birds on neighbouring islands aren't necessarily related. There are so many species and ssp that a cladogram would be very complex Jimfbleak - talk to me? 11:22, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Just another issue: the Nauru Reed Warbler forms a clade with the other Micronesian reed warblers... The remaining Polynesian species... -- the paragraph implies that these four are the only Micronesian species, and all the others are Polynesian. But the Carolinian Reed Warbler and the Nightingale Reed Warbler are also found in Micronesia. -- Yzx (talk) 15:54, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
You are right, the article describes clades at different levels, and I've not done a very good job distinguishing them. I've now removed Melanesian, and just listed the closest relatives. The higher-level groupings are interesting, but not really relevant to this article other than as evidence of the multiple colonisations in the next para. Jimfbleak - talk to me? 16:40, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • The first part of the name may have been thought in error to mean "sharp-pointed", referring to the angular head shape typical of this genus. -- I'm not sure what this means. Is the "first part of the name" the akros? And why is this important?
Clarified and expanded. It's only to explain the current meaningless "topmost head", whereas "sharp-pointed head" would have been much more logical Jimfbleak - talk to me? 12:02, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • A 2009 phylogenic study of the family Acrocephalidae did not include analysis of the species, and as recently as 2010 its relation with other members of the genus was described as unknown. -- "analysis of" and "described as" seem unnecessary
Done Jimfbleak - talk to me? 12:09, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • The warblers colonized Hawaii first and then Polynesia? Where were they coming from?
I've added "from Asia". Can't be any more precise than that since there were several waves, all of unknown origin (Hawaii, Guam, and the two invasions of the reast of the Pacific islands Jimfbleak - talk to me? 10:52, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • Nauru Reed Warbler nests are made up of woven grasses and twigs, and are cup-shaped -- this reads awkward, suggest "...nests are cup-shaped and woven from grasses and twigs."
Done Jimfbleak - talk to me? 10:52, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • ornithologist A. Pearson suggests -- "suggested"?
Done Jimfbleak - talk to me? 10:52, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • The clutch size is unclear, with between two and three eggs reported. -- why is it unclear? The size seems to be 2-3
Done Jimfbleak - talk to me? 10:52, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • Buden reports -- inconsistent tense again
Done Jimfbleak - talk to me? 10:52, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • "Australian nightingale" (Willie Wagtail) -- why the quotes for an idiosyncratic common name? Is the phrasing of the original source important?
Remove the nightingale, used modern name. Jimfbleak - talk to me? 12:09, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • close to the floor -- do you mean "ground"?
Done Jimfbleak - talk to me? 12:09, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • BirdLife International previously estimated that there were between 10,000 and 20,000 Nauru Reed Warblers, but, based on Buden's estimate of 5,000,[7] this has been revised down to 3,000 mature individuals -- concrete dates here would be helpful
Added Jimfbleak - talk to me? 16:40, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Nice article. Just nitpicks for the most part except for the phylogeny. -- Yzx (talk) 07:29, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for review, these are my revisions Jimfbleak - talk to me? 12:19, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Looks good to me. Supporting now. -- Yzx (talk) 17:19, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for your careful review and support Jimfbleak - talk to me? 18:24, 26 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
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