Talk:Black-billed magpie/GA1

GA Review
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Reviewer: Jens Lallensack (talk · contribs) 22:09, 14 January 2024 (UTC)

Comments follow soon! --Jens Lallensack (talk) 22:09, 14 January 2024 (UTC)


 * please add a color legend to the range map (see, e.g., Snowy plover as example).
 * Done
 * black areas on the wings and tail iridescent hints of blue or blue-green – is a word missing here between "tail" and "iridescent"?
 * Fixed
 * after genetic studies showed the variation between the two species. – Better "differences" instead of "variation"? Or even better, "based on genetic studies"?
 * Done
 * be found in farmlands suburban ares. – again, word missing?
 * Added word
 * Large predators such as wolves are commonly followed by black-billed magpies – It is easier to follow if you reverse the sentence to start with the magpie "Black-billed magpies commonly follow large predators …".
 * Flipped
 * and sit near the top – Use "located", since, when using "sit", readers may think you mean the magpie rather than the nest.
 * Changed
 * game-birds – game birds (2x)
 * Both instances fixed
 * indicating a difference in species – I suggest "indicating separate species".
 * Changed
 * but was placed into it's own species in the 2000s – Why not "in 2000", as stated in the main text?
 * Done
 * From there the black-billed and Eurasian magpie species began to differentiate. – But at that time, they were not yet differentiated into separate species, right? Maybe "From there, the Eurasian and North American populations began to differentiate"?
 * Changed
 * and the beginning on an – "of" instead of "an"?
 * Fixed
 * They also have pink mouths and grey irises. – Do you mean "pink bills"? Also, what about bill, leg, and iris color in adults – if you provide this information for juveniles, you should also do so for males.
 * The source I used literally said "mouths", but an alternate source specifies "mouth lining". I've updated the text to use mouth lining, updated the reference, and also found a CC image of a juvenile that I added to illustrate the point.
 * Description section: You indicate here that there are no differences in appearance between the Black-billed and the Eurasian magpie. But what about overall size and tail length differences mentioned earlier in "Taxonomy"?
 * Good catch, added.
 * that the species also breeds in some meadows – What is meant with "meadows"? Certainly in trees, not in meadows, right?
 * It was worded weird, it meant that they live in meadows/suburbs. I've rewritten it.
 * and often for life unless one dies – "unless one dies" is redundant here and can be removed.
 * Removed
 * found low rates of divorce (8%) but one 7-year study in Alberta found divorce rates up to 63%. – are these figures per year? Or did 63% of pairs divorced in the entire 7-year period?
 * It's 63% over the 7-year period - I've reworded that to be clearer.
 * Black-billed magpies tend to feed on primarily – "-primarily feed on"
 * Changed
 * though this may simply reflect the adults' better overall condition and consequent lack of motivation to engage in fights. – Is "condition" (like "health condition") really what you want to say?
 * Reworded: - Better?
 * behaviour – This is British English, right? Other parts seem to be American English.
 * Canadian English largely - I checked and I primarily used "our" endings. The only "or" I found was the "Behavior" heading, so I've changed that to Canadian English to be consistent.
 * If regularly disturbed at the nest, magpie pairs will aggressively defend their nest. If the disturbances continue, they will eventually either move the eggs[30] or abandon the clutch altogether. Biologists who have climbed nest trees to measure magpie eggs have reported that the parents recognized them personally on subsequent days and started to mob them, overlooking other people in the vicinity. – Maybe this section is better placed under "Breeding and nesting"?
 * Agreed - I moved it up to the paragraph after where the nests are described.
 * This is all! Mostly minor nitpicks. Great work. --Jens Lallensack (talk) 04:06, 15 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the comments - I think I've addressed everything. Let me know what you think! grungaloo (talk) 02:43, 16 January 2024 (UTC)


 * Sorry to intrude ... Latin for magpie is pica; English "pie" may well be derived from the Latin. Needs a word of clarification. Chiswick Chap (talk) 20:51, 16 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Fixed - pie is the Middle English word for them. grungaloo (talk) 22:17, 16 January 2024 (UTC)

Good work, looking really good! I will leave a couple of more comments for you, but these are optional for this GA, which I will promote shortly.
 * It is black and white, with black areas on the wings and tail and iridescent hints of blue or blue-green. – This now does not say where it is iridescent. Maybe reformulate "with the wings and tail showing black areas and iridescent hints of blue and blue-green" or similar.
 * The text says it is non-migratory, but the range map shows winter ranges, which seems contradictory.
 * Standard information for comprehensive bird articles in Wikipedia also includes predators and parasites. --Jens Lallensack (talk) 23:09, 16 January 2024 (UTC)