Talk:Fork-tailed drongo/GA2

GA Review
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Reviewer: Chiswick Chap (talk · contribs) 15:29, 9 March 2024 (UTC)

Comments

 * "Described by Johann Matthäus Bechstein in 1794." -- isn't a sentence: please begin with the full name, i.e. "The fork-tailed drongo was described by ..."


 * What does "genetically highly structured" mean?
 * It means that they are genetically heterogeneous, that is, their populations differ substancially genetically.
 * OK, I've tweaked the text to that effect. ✅


 * The citation to Bechstein 1794 needs to be provided at the end of that sentence.


 * You say 4 races are accepted, then list 6 subspecies? The following two sentences seem to equate "race" with "subspecies".
 * Only very recently that two other subspecies were recognized thus the "usually accepted". Race and subspecies can be synonyms. ✅


 * "The races ... (Hartlaub, 1849)." is uncited.


 * [11] Herremans is used curiously to support a claim of leucism, but the paper is in fact a challenge to the kleptoparasitism theory which is presented using other sources as if it were a definite fact. 'Kleptoparasitism' needs to be presented in a balanced way (you might like to use sub-sections named 'Evidence for' and 'Evidence against', perhaps) with evidence in favour ([18], [19] etc) and evidence against, including [11] Herremans; I note that the account based on [20] Flower and indeed the fact that only 29% of their time is spent trailing [21][22] all support the view that the species is an opportunistic kleptoparasite, spending most of its time foraging for itself, so there are multiple 'Against' sources to hand already.
 * The source isn't disputing the kleptoparasitic tactic of the drongo, but instead suggestion that it might not be used as much as we think; only in situations of scarity of food. I will add a sentence saying something along the lines. Tell me if that's enough.
 * Definitely getting there. I think the 29% of the time spent trailing (refs) should be mentioned, so we should use the word "opportunistic" about the kleptoparasitism to make the argument clear. I've listed the sources already.
 * I've added another sentence with the above source, let me know what you think!
 * OK! ✅


 * The last paragraph of 'Kleptoparasitism' touches on 'theory of mind' which could be considered off-topic: you need to explain (as [13] Flower and other sources do) that the bird uses its theory of mind ability (if it has such a thing) to support its kleptoparasitism.


 * I'm not sure I get what the last sentence in 'Kleptoparasitism' is saying; I think you need to go back to [22] Baigrie and explain from there how the bird's behaviour contributes to its kleptoparasitism.
 * Rephrased, ✅
 * Thanks.


 * "close to wetlands, forests, and farms": these are rather different habitats (in many ways), so you should explain how all 3 of them can be "favorable".
 * I'm afraid the sources don't go deeper than simply listing the habitats.


 * "a diverse array of colors and patterns, serving as a unique signature," --- no, the diversity serves to provide a multiplicity of unique signatures, making mimicry more difficult, which is almost the opposite of what is said in the text.
 * Removed the unique signature part.

Minor

 * "The fork-tailed drongo is ... [singular] ... These insect-eating birds are ... [plural] ... Its range was ... (singular)" -- please choose a number (singular, plural) and stick with it. Same goes for 'Description' and 'Conservation status'; if you go for singular, you might also consider making the 'Behavior' text singular.


 * "accepted. Though as of 2023" -> "accepted, though as of 2023"


 * "Red List. Though" -> "Red List, though"


 * "subspecie", "specie" -- both words end in "s".


 * I've fixed a couple of minor things in the text.

Images

 * All the images are plausibly licensed on Commons.


 * We are missing images of drongo eggs of different colors and patterns, and indeed of mimicking eggs laid by cuckoos. Ideally we'd have both together in a nest, of course. I guess if all else fails we could have a pic of an African cuckoo adult, but that'd not be nearly as good.
 * Couldn't find any image that was freely licensed.
 * Can we have a distribution map of the races please. These aren't hard to draw and there are plenty of blank base maps on Commons.
 * I can perhaps do a distribution map of the species as a whole, there isn't enough information about the specific ranges of the races.

Summary

 * Interesting little article on a familiar bird. There are a few issues that definitely need to be fixed before we get to GA but they shouldn't take too long. Chiswick Chap (talk) 16:10, 9 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I tried to fix the problem you raised by changing to an article history template but the bot tagged the review as failed.  The Blue  Rider  Postal horn icon.svg 11:48, 10 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Ah, it needed to be done before the GAN started then. Never mind, it'll all work ok now. Chiswick Chap (talk) 12:02, 10 March 2024 (UTC)