Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Invisible rail/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 08:49, 25 May 2014.

Invisible rail

 * Nominator(s):  Jimfbleak -  talk to me?  09:18, 13 May 2014 (UTC)

Now you see it... Read about the German ornithologist who braved the insect-ridden thorny swamps of Halmahera, half-naked and barefoot, in search of this elusive flightless bird. This is a short article, despite the discovery of a nest in 2010, since much of the rest of the rail's behaviour remains unknown.

Thanks to Crisco for helpful comments prior to this nomination, and for his input on the geography of the Indonesian island. Delegate permission has been granted to run this now  Jimfbleak -  talk to me?  09:18, 13 May 2014 (UTC)


 * Image review
 * File:HabroptilaWallaciiWolf.jpg - PD-70 is not enough for the US. This image is PD-100, so I'd use that template.
 * File:Halmahera Topography.png - Fine
 * File:Sago Palm Trees ESP PNG.jpg - Copyright-wise this is fine. However, I feel it may look a little better if you move it into #Behaviour (considering how important sago is in this article, that shouldn't affect the illustrative value). — Crisco 1492 (talk) 09:37, 13 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks for image review. Templated and moved as appropriate  Jimfbleak -  talk to me?  15:13, 13 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Great. I'll wait for Syamal's suggestions to be dealt with before supporting, as Syamal is much better versed in the field than I am. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 07:50, 14 May 2014 (UTC)

Shyamal (talk) 07:48, 14 May 2014 (UTC)
 * More sources to review and incorporate
 * de Haan, G. A. L. (1950) Notes on the Invisible Flightless Rail of Halmahera (Habroptila wallacii Gray). Amsterdam Naturalist 1: 57–60.
 * Jeremy J. Kirchman (2012) Speciation of Flightless Rails on Islands: A DNA-Based Phylogeny of the Typical Rails of the Pacific. The Auk: January 2012, Vol. 129, No. 1, pp. 56-69.
 * Unpublished thesis - refers to monitor lizards as a threat - http://udspace.udel.edu/bitstream/handle/19716/5498/schnaitman?sequence=3 does not appear reliable - several native monitors around (not necessarily invasive Bengal monitor) http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2010/04/01/rsbl.2010.0119.full http://www.landesmuseum.at/pdf_frei_remote/HER_12_1_2_0045-0056.pdf
 * Gerd Heinrich's publication in German http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01670833
 * predator signalling function of white undertail shown in tail-flicking displays - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10682-008-9283-z not useful...
 * Mees suggesting that Habroptila not be merged with Megacrex on basis of distinctive bill - http://dare.uva.nl/cgi/arno/show.cgi?fid=149144
 * PS: I have incorporated most except the first which I do not have access to and appears to be an important one. Shyamal (talk) 14:48, 14 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks for that, I've been out all day, out again tomorrow, so it will probably be Friday before I get time to take a look  Jimfbleak -  talk to me?  16:23, 14 May 2014 (UTC)
 * I'd seen the Storrs Olson ref and decided that it was peripheral to the article, I accept that was a bad call, thanks for fixing that taxonomy section. Schnaitman was originally used in the article, but, as you say, it's not reliable (Ripley was also used, obv reliable but could all be reffed to Taylor, which is more recent). Thanks for the Heinrich paper, I've rolled that it with Taylor's voice comments (in Description) to avoid having calls in two sections. I suspect that if we can get de Haan, it's likely to be a disappointment. Taylor, HBW and Birdbase all referenced this paper, and considering the paucity of information prior to Bashari and van Balen, it's difficult to think that it said anything of great import that they chose to omit  Jimfbleak -  talk to me?  06:21, 15 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Possible that Haan does not add much but let us see if someone can locate the three pages. Shyamal (talk) 17:06, 15 May 2014 (UTC)
 * De Haan added now, not sure that local names are in the best place, feel free to move if you think they would be better elsewhere  Jimfbleak -  talk to me?  06:04, 22 May 2014 (UTC)


 * Support - a comprehensive review of what is known. Shyamal (talk) 10:41, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Many thanks for help and support, de Haan was actually quite interesting  Jimfbleak -  talk to me?  17:18, 22 May 2014 (UTC)


 * Couple questions from the De Haan source
 * He mentions sending a specimen to Amsterdam. Would this have been stuffed? Relatedly, and I probably already know the answer, do we have any captive specimens?
 * It would have been stuffed, since he was trying to get good skins. None in captivity AFAIK.  Jimfbleak - </b> talk to me?  08:06, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Worth noting that it may, apparently, try to claim areas that were once settled by humans? (he saw it often in "neglected native plantations")
 * de Haan confused the call with that of another rail, it doesn't occur in alang-alang or mangroves, and I wouldn't trust him on that either <b style="font-family:chiller; color:red;"> Jimfbleak - </b> talk to me?  08:06, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Alright. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 08:11, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * "The rail is a prized food for local people who catch it with traps and hunt it with dogs." - Worth mentioning the traps?
 * Done <b style="font-family:chiller; color:red;"> Jimfbleak - </b> talk to me?  08:06, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * The specimens he talks about really don't seem to run away when danger approaches... anything explicit about its movements? He suggests that water isn't really much of a hindrance — Crisco 1492 (talk) 07:43, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * I wouldn't expect water to be a hindrance for birds in this semi-aquatic family. I don't read it like that, the birds he got close to didn't see him, and the one that did ran away at high speed. It's the pittas that approached closely <b style="font-family:chiller; color:red;"> Jimfbleak - </b> talk to me?  08:06, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks for reading de Haan and further comments <b style="font-family:chiller; color:red;"> Jimfbleak - </b> talk to me?  08:06, 22 May 2014 (UTC)


 * Support on prose and images. A nice, tight article on a bird which has interested me since 2011. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 08:11, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks for support, I enjoyed writing this one <b style="font-family:chiller; color:red;"> Jimfbleak - </b> talk to me?  09:55, 22 May 2014 (UTC)


 * Comments taking a look now. ..Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 12:44, 19 May 2014 (UTC)


 *  It has mainly dark slate-grey plumage, and the bare skin around its eyes, the long, thick bill and the legs are all bright red.  - bit run-on-y with the shift in subject - I'd align the subjects - "It has mainly dark slate-grey plumage, and bright red legs, bill and skin around its eyes." Or Its plumage is predominantly dark slate-grey, and the bare skin around its eyes, the long, thick bill and the legs are all bright red. 
 * Done <b style="font-family:chiller; color:red;"> Jimfbleak - </b> talk to me?  16:46, 19 May 2014 (UTC)
 * I'd link sago and wetlands in lead.
 * Done <b style="font-family:chiller; color:red;"> Jimfbleak - </b> talk to me?  16:46, 19 May 2014 (UTC)
 * purre - purre - purre - purre - purre is not italised while a sound two sentences before is.
 * Done <b style="font-family:chiller; color:red;"> Jimfbleak - </b> talk to me?  16:46, 19 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks for looking Cas, all done so far <b style="font-family:chiller; color:red;"> Jimfbleak - </b> talk to me?  16:46, 19 May 2014 (UTC)


 * tentative support on comprehensiveness and prose, pending on what other folks think. I can't see any outstanding prose-clangers or omissions. reads nicely. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 20:11, 19 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks for support <b style="font-family:chiller; color:red;"> Jimfbleak - </b> talk to me?  07:36, 20 May 2014 (UTC)

Source review - spotchecks not done
 * FN2: link provided gives different bibliographic information than included in this citation; we're also missing year and location
 * I've corrected the link and added location and year. The most recent recommended citation for HBW hasn't reached this page yet, but the editors are as listed <b style="font-family:chiller; color:red;"> Jimfbleak - </b> talk to me?  19:33, 21 May 2014 (UTC)


 * BirdingAsia or BirdingASIA? Nikkimaria (talk) 17:01, 21 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Changed to BirdingASIA as in original document <b style="font-family:chiller; color:red;"> Jimfbleak - </b> talk to me?  19:33, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for reviewing sources <b style="font-family:chiller; color:red;"> Jimfbleak - </b> talk to me?  19:33, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

Support by Gerda

Thank you for improving knowledge on this bird whith the tuk tuk drumming call which I met three years ago! I am not familiar with biology specialties, just a common reader ;) - Minor question, in Description: * The sexes are identical in appearance, although the plumage of fledged immatures has not been described. - how is that "although"? I fixed the name to lowercase once. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:58, 22 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks for support, sorry about your long wait. replaced "although with semicolon <b style="font-family:chiller; color:red;"> Jimfbleak - </b> talk to me?  08:06, 22 May 2014 (UTC)

Ian Rose (talk) 07:28, 25 May 2014 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.