Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Black stork/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 Sarastro1 via FACBot (talk) 12:30, 20 August 2017 [1].


Black stork edit

Nominator(s): Adityavagarwal (talk · contribs) & Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 11:31, 19 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

We have improved this article to the point where we invite others to let us know (hopefully) about any last fixes before it gets a shiny star. I feel it is the equal of some other bird FAs so have at it.. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 11:31, 19 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Comments from Riley edit

Some quick comments, like usual.

  • The last part of the sentence "This is because of the wide range, big population and low rate of decline, which are well beyond the threshold to consider them as vulnerable" makes them sound as if they are well below the threshold for being vulnerable. Maybe instead of saying "beyond", say "above"? Or reword it entirely so you don't have that confusion.
Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 02:24, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • What are you trying to convey about the bare skin around this bird's eyes? "The black stork has brown iris, and the bare skin around its eyes."
Oops. Nothing about the bare skin, but just that it surrounds the eye. Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 02:24, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Which bird has the traits noted to differ in the sentence "Mostly similar to the Adbim's stork in appearance, it differs by having bright red bill, legs and feet, and black rump and lower back"?
Tweaked. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 04:57, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • The first part of the sentence "The juvenile resembles the adult in plumage pattern, but the areas corresponding to the adult black feathers are browner and less glossy" might confuse some non-birders, as they might think that "plumage pattern" is a type of moult or something. Maybe just say plumage?
Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 02:24, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

That is all for now. More will come later. RileyBugz会話投稿記録 14:59, 19 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

  • The last part of the sentence "The female lays two to five white shelled eggs having greyish hue" is confusing. RileyBugz会話投稿記録 19:42, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Rephrased. Adityavagarwal (talk) 23:04, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
But how can a white shell have a greyish hue? That is a contradiction. Maybe say "The female [actually, that should be reworded too, as both sexes incubate the eggs] lays two to five greyish eggs." RileyBugz会話投稿記録 00:13, 22 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Rephrased again. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 03:59, 22 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • The sentence "It was moved to the new genus Ciconia by French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson two years later" is a bit confusing, since it was originally assigned to the genus Ciconia, thus meaning that genus is not new. Maybe say "It was moved back to the genus Ciconia, which had just been formally established, by French zoologist [name] in [year]"? RileyBugz会話投稿記録 19:42, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Actually, it needs to be made clear that Francis Willughby wasn't formally describing it - his name was not a Linnaean binomial since he predated Linnaeus (so it was never assigned to Ciconia until Brisson did). Sabine's Sunbird talk 19:47, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, have been scratching my head over this bit. The Willughby material is fascinating as it shows that many of the binomial names used by Linnaeus had been in use 100 years earlier, though Linnaeus obviously marks the start of Linnaean taxonomy. I need to think how to note this. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 05:19, 21 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
A footnote? The pre-Linnean history of biological nomenclature is somewhat tangential to the subject at hand. Sabine's Sunbird talk 05:30, 21 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
footnote added. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 02:10, 22 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • In this sentence, "black stork" needs to be singular: "Black storks host more than 12 species of helminth, with Cathaemasia hians and Dicheilonema ciconiae reported to be the most dominant." RileyBugz会話投稿記録 16:03, 27 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 16:28, 27 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • In the sentence "Juvenile black storks host fewer helminth species overall, but carry higher parasite loads than adults do", "black stork" needs to be singular and the last part needs to be reworded. Maybe "The juvenile black stork, although having a less diverse helminth population, is parasitized more frequently than the adult." RileyBugz会話投稿記録 16:03, 27 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 16:28, 27 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
RileyBugz, do you want to add anything? Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 09:39, 9 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
@Ian Rose: Just don't count my review, because I don't know if it is thorough at this point, and I don't really want to spend the time to do so. RileyBugz会話投稿記録 20:07, 9 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Support Comments from Sabine's Sunbird edit

Some observations:

  • large wading bird waders (which is linked to) typically means sandpipers, plovers and the like, not storks, herons and ibises and the like. It's slightly different in the US but this is supposed to be UK English right?
Agreed and delinked. I have left as "bird". I could call it Water bird but is a bit of a silly link. I don't know of a common name for Aequornithes, which might be another possibility Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 10:14, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Bit of overlinking in the lead
Removed some more major geographical regions, but left the ones which may not be known to few readers (like the straight of gibraltar, etc.). Adityavagarwal (talk) 02:21, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • big population - maybe large population?
tweaked Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 00:14, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • It is also covered under the what is this also-ing? No previous discussions of cover before.
removed Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 00:14, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • To a layperson it may be weird that conservation actions are being taken for a species not at risk. Rather than listing conventions that protect them, perhaps discuss localised declines and then provide global context of their status?
hopefully the moved material on local declines will help with flow Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 10:21, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • No, the lead is still an issue (and this comment was about the lead, sorry should have been more clear. The structure of the last paragraph is "not threatened IUCN/treaties protecting the species/conservation \actions underway". It should be "local declines/global context and IUCN status/ conservation actions" Sabine's Sunbird talk 19:34, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
I have added a sentence and rejigged it slightly Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 05:17, 21 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • English naturalist Francis Willughby wrote about the white stork in the 17th century, having seen one in Frankfurt, naming it Ciconia nigra Is this in the right article?
whoops. fixed Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 04:59, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Do the "three major groups of storks" stand up cladistically?
Not sure, but the material possibly a bit off-topic for a species article, so trimmed Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 04:31, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • I would dispute that it most closely resembles the abdim's stork - the plumage patterns are the but the body shape is quite different
added re build. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 04:57, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • The information in distribution about declines might be better in conservation?
Right, I have moved some material on declines to conservation. There is some more entwined but is hard to unravel. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 10:21, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Why is a Old World species in American English in places (Behavior)?
good point, gonna UKize it think all UKized now... Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 00:14, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • A wary species, it avoids human contact and forms small flocks especially during winter. Is a bit of a non sequitur.
split Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 10:11, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • In feeding, why does the article suddenly start throwing in binomials after common names?
It is a good point, but in other bird FAs like white stork, such binomials are mentioned after the common names, too. However, if you think that it should be removed, I would remove it. Adityavagarwal (talk) 02:30, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • It's a consistency thing. Do it consistently or don't do it consistently. Personally, I would only use a scientific name if there is some ambiguity in the common name. Sabine's Sunbird talk 03:28, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
I've added rather than subtracted. It helps avoid a sea of bluelinks. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 10:11, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Okay more later. Sabine's Sunbird talk 20:14, 19 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

  • Overlinking is still an issue, particularly in the distribution and migration section.
Oops! I hope it looks find now. Adityavagarwal (talk) 23:05, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • However it flees at the presence of dogs. I'm not sure why this is "however" or even what it adds.
..removed Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 22:01, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
I meant that the whole section adds nothing. It flees in the presence of large predators? That's pretty much the rule isn't it? Sabine's Sunbird talk 22:46, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
When I read it initially, it was the contrast between the storks following large ruminants but scared of dogs. But yes, I take your point that most animals can distinguish between herbivores and carnivores...so removed it Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 04:33, 21 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • which had large side branches that allowed it to build the nest away from the trunk as well as black pine, (Pinus nigra) and to a lesser extent oak I think a comma is in the wrong place (it should be after trunk, not pine)
tweaked Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 22:02, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Considering the rarity of infanticide in this species has it been given undue weight in the lead? Sabine's Sunbird talk 19:34, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
yeah I think so..removed Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 22:01, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Some more questions/comments:

  • Slightly smaller than the white stork, the black stork is a large bird, why does this start with a comparison to the white stork?
the former is more familiar...but agree not essential so removed Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 01:42, 22 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Like all storks, it has long legs, a long neck and a long, straight, pointed beak. I don't think all storks have straight bills (check out the [[openbill]s.
I just removed comparison to all sotrks Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 01:42, 22 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • No mention of bill standard bill colour in the description section. Or the bare eye skin colour
added. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 20:43, 22 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • It may be confused with the juvenile yellow-billed stork, really?
this is mentioned in Cramp (1977) under both species, though under the black stork entry it concedes the resemblance is "slight". OTOH, many folks are not that familiar with juvenile plumage so can argue might be better to leave in...I did tweak it a little to get a sense of that. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 01:11, 31 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • The black stork walks slowly and steadily on the ground. Like all storks, it flies with its neck outstretched. Why is this on the paragraph about juveniles?
accident. moved. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 20:43, 22 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Distribution and habitat - first paragraph lays out the European distribution of the summering birds - and nothing about its Asian summer distribution (except a line about Korea further down). This whole section needs work on weight (undue focus on extralimital distribution) and structure. Migration section heavily weighted towards Europe too.
have begun reorganising it. Unfortunately appears to have been much more studied in Europe than Asia...but I think there is some Asian material I can add. looking now..got some Asian material in but it's been a hard slog... Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 21:34, 22 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • The black stork mainly eats fish, although it may feed on amphibians, insects, small reptiles, snails, crabs, mammals and birds.[39] Its insect diet primarily includes water beetles and their larvae, and earthworms.[40][41] It also forages on newts, shrews, small rodents and molluscs. Structure issues here. Earthworms aren't insects, and then the last sentence is basically repeating the first with a bit more detail but no clear logic.
reorganised. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 20:43, 22 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Can anything be said about the significance of the statement also forages with both wings raised in an open canopy. Maybe linking it to the sentence on the following paragraph It has been observed shading the water with its wings while hunting.
removed - taken as a misunderstanding as I thought it meant canopy (foliage) but it just means its wings as shade...like what the other sentence already says. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 14:31, 23 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, more to come. Sabine's Sunbird talk 00:52, 22 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

  • In the lead you talk about deciduous and evergreen trees for nesting but in the article you use deciduous and coniferous - coniferous and evergreen overlap but are not synonyms
changed to conifer in lead - as references are using it in this way Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 04:35, 29 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • The listing of the nesting sites in the lead gives them equal weight but the article makes it clear that trees and particularly deciduous trees are favoured.
tweaked Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 04:48, 29 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Lead has some focus/weight issues - lots of info on conservation and migration, but a single short sentence on eggs, incubation, chick rearing and parental care. Nothing on taxonomy
Improved. Adityavagarwal (talk) 17:09, 29 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • In the first sentence, the stork family name doesn't need bolding
debolded Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 04:48, 29 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • It winters into the Indian subcontinent, particularly India where it ranges from Punjab south to Karnataka,[26] and Africa.[16] It is an occasional visitor to Sri Lanka,[27] and was first recorded in western Myanmar in 1998 Weight, again. The first paragraph of this section (distribution and habitat) goes into extreme depth, country by country, sometimes providing population estimates for countries (like Spain and Portugal). And then the entire wintering range of the western Eurasian population is two words and Africa. I think structurally this has been let down by breaking the migration section into its own subsection.
I have moved the wintering areas into D&H, leaving material on routes in migration section only. Have rejigged it but is tricky as there is little information from China. Still, will see what else I can do, including adding winter habitat mentioned below Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 03:18, 30 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Similarly, I see no information about the wintering habitat in southern Asia and Africa. According to the HB, while they avoid open habitats while breeding flocks of passage and wintering birds may be encountered in open marshland and often frequent ricefields
added some info from India and southern Africa. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 01:46, 31 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • The eggs are usually laid in late April I would take out the chronology of breeding from the description of breeding and have it as a separate section, which would allow you to be more specific about where those dates apply too (I suspect it varies, particularly the African population).
I moved it to first para of breeding, where African breeding dates are mentioned. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 01:41, 31 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Away from human disturbance, the black stork prefers to construct its nest in forest trees with large canopies where the nest can be built far from the main trunk. Does that mean that close to human disturbance they build their nests somewhere else?
tweaked Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 03:18, 30 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • I still think you need to restructure the status section of the intro (per my comments above) Sabine's Sunbird talk 20:07, 28 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Improved. I removed extraneous information and retained the agreements the black stork is covered under, in the lead. Adityavagarwal (talk) 17:09, 29 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Okay getting close:

  • A shy and wary species, unlike the closely related white stork, the black stork is seen singly or in pairs, I would shift the "unlike" to before the shy and wary, or break this sentence into two as it covers behavioural (temperament) and ecological (habitat) information, the linkages between are distinct enough to warrant separate sentences.
yeah...tweaked Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 22:03, 4 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Both in the lead and the main body of the text the prose has a gloomier take on the status of the species than the IUCN does! Examples:
  • lead and appears to be declining in many parts of its range. IUCN The overall population trend is uncertain, as some populations are decreasing, while others are increasing, stable or have unknown trends
tried aligning them by adding uncertainty to lead and removing "many". Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 22:10, 4 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • In the main body of the text Black stork numbers have declined for many years in western Europe, and the species has already been extirpated from Scandinavia.[17] ... Its habitat is changing rapidly in much of eastern Europe and Asia IUCN in contrast The European population is estimated to be increasing (BirdLife International 2015).
  • However, the state of the population overall is not known which directly quotes the iucn, however the IUCN says uncertain. Data deficient would be unknown.
tweaked Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 22:10, 4 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • though increasing in others such as the Iberian Peninsula in the lead but not the main text. Sabine's Sunbird talk 05:42, 5 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
it is, it's just in the Distribution and habitat section... Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 08:59, 5 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • There's a tendency to dwell on regional threats and declines in widespread species but the overall context should not be lost. Sabine's Sunbird talk
It's very hard to balance. Err, increases are in D&H and not sure about repeating..so I added most notable ups and downs to lead. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 22:20, 4 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
fixed Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 22:11, 4 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Support Comments from Jim edit

Just a quick read through, I'll look again later. In lead, "winter rather than summer." needs northern/southern to avoid ambiguity. Also some multiple refs are not in numerical order. I made a couple of minor tweaks as I read. Jimfbleak - talk to me? 10:35, 21 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

changes look fine Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 01:42, 22 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Only one to add; The black stork nests solitarily, which are usually at least 1 km (0.6 mi) apart... uses nests as a noun and a verb simultaneously, perhaps The black stork's solitary nests are usually at least 1 km (0.6 mi) apart.... Changing to support anyway Jimfbleak - talk to me? 06:51, 22 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 12:12, 22 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Source review from Ealdgyth edit

  • Current citation 16 "MacKinnon" has OUP as an abbreviation - we don't generally use these sorts of abbreviations (and later with footnote 19, you don't use it there) Ref 27 also has OUP
Done. Adityavagarwal (talk) 15:56, 26 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Current ref 22 "WAZA. "Black Stork Reintroduction"" ... what is this referring to?
I hope it looks better. I was unable to find the date for the source. Adityavagarwal (talk) 15:56, 26 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • You abbreviate "RSA" (ref 15) but spell out "United Kingdom" ... either abbreviate all countries or spell them all out.
Spelled out. Adityavagarwal (talk) 15:40, 26 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • ref 32 (Elkins) does not have a location - you give locations for most other citations so it needs to have one also to be consistent.
Added. Adityavagarwal (talk) 15:40, 26 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • ref 35 (Juana) needs a location of publication per above
Added. Adityavagarwal (talk) 15:40, 26 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • ref 42 (Ciconia nigra) needs a publisher
Added. Adityavagarwal (talk) 15:30, 26 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • ref 43 (Sidorovich) needs a location of publication
Added. Adityavagarwal (talk) 15:30, 26 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • What makes Dressler (published in 1881) a high quality reliable source?
Author was Henry Eeles Dresser, notable ornithologist Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 12:50, 27 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • ref 16 (MacKinnon) doesn't need a full year-month-day date - a year is fine.
Resolved. Adityavagarwal (talk) 15:30, 26 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • ref 19 (Ali) lacks a publication date
Added year of publication. Adityavagarwal (talk) 15:30, 26 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • ref 29 (Dymond) doesn't need a full year-month-day date.
Resolved. Adityavagarwal (talk) 15:30, 26 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • ref 35 (Junana) doesn't need a full year-month-day date
Resolved. Adityavagarwal (talk) 15:30, 26 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • ref 41 (DK) - what is DK standing for?
Written in full. Adityavagarwal (talk) 16:04, 26 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • ref 43 (Sidorovich) doesn't need a full year-month-day date.
Resolved. Adityavagarwal (talk) 15:30, 26 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • ref 44 (Pottetz) doesn't need a full year-month-day date
Resolved. Adityavagarwal (talk) 15:30, 26 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • I randomly googled three sentences and nothing showed up except mirrors. Earwig's tool shows some flags that need to be checked out. The first "source" appears to be copying from Wikipedia, but the second (YouTube) doesn't have any disclaimer... it's quite likely they cribbed from Wikipedia also, but it should be checked out.
Otherwise everything looks good. Ealdgyth - Talk 14:40, 26 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
I'll leave the one bit out for other reviewers to decide for themselves. Ealdgyth - Talk 12:56, 27 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Image review - seems this already looks to be getting three positive reviews, I'll give an image review to get things going. FunkMonk (talk) 07:24, 28 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • This map could need a description template on Commons:[2]
Added. Adityavagarwal (talk) 09:49, 30 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Same with this map:[3]
Added. Adityavagarwal (talk) 09:49, 30 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • I think you should show the juvenile, since we do have photos of it:[4][5] This one[6] shows both the nest and the juveniles well, so it could perhaps be used in place of the current nest image, to save space.
Replaced. Adityavagarwal (talk) 14:03, 28 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • The video seems fairly pointless, unlike this one, which shows a foraging bird:[7]
Replaced the video. Adityavagarwal (talk) 14:03, 28 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • The photo of the foraging bird doesn't have a very interesting perspective, how about one of these?[8][9]
Certainly better. Replaced it with the first one. Adityavagarwal (talk) 14:03, 28 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • The image layut seems a bit messy, perhaps trying alternating the image locations left and right.
Repositioned. Adityavagarwal (talk) 10:09, 30 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Otherwise looks good source and licence wise.

Comments by Wehwalt edit

  • I might move mention of its range a bit higher in the opening paragraph. My first reaction was "where does it live" and (disregarding infobox) I felt I had to dig a little to far down for that.
Moved. Adityavagarwal (talk) 13:15, 14 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Similarly, the info about Linneus's description of it: must it be as high as the second sentence? It seems relatively unimportant to the grand scheme of things. A solution might be to switch the present second and fourth sentences.
Moved the third and fourth paragraphs to the second and third paragraphs. Does it look good? Adityavagarwal (talk) 13:15, 14 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "incubation. Incubation" ahem.
Gotcha! Fixed. Adityavagarwal (talk) 13:15, 14 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
I tweaked it a little differently. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 13:23, 14 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "Various conservation measures have been taken for the black storks, like the Conservation Action Plan for African black storks by Wetlands International." I might cut the word "the"
Instead, for consistency, tweaked it to "the black storks". Adityavagarwal (talk) 13:15, 14 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • More soon.--Wehwalt (talk) 13:02, 14 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • " Fossil remains have been recovered from Miocene beds Rusinga and Maboko Islands in Kenya," Should there be an "on" after "beds"? I thought the name of the beds might be what you said, but the links are to the islands.
oops. added. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 05:10, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "it has long red legs, a long neck and a long, straight, pointed red beak." 3 x long. Possibly unavoidable, possibly not.
yeah...mused on this today...I can't see a way around this... Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 11:13, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • I might link axillaries.
linked. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 11:13, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "The black stork has brown iris, and bare red skin around its eyes" I'd think you'd want a plural for iris.
Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 03:58, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "It bears some resemblance ..." I might suggest incorporating this to the previous paragraph as its third or fourth sentence.
Moved. Adityavagarwal (talk) 03:58, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • " It could possibly be confused with the juvenile yellow-billed stork, but the latter has paler wings and mantle, longer bill and white under the wings." I might put an "a" before longer.
Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 03:58, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • " and the Levant" might "Middle East" be better than Levant? You mention Sinai, and I'm not sure "Levant" is totally current.
Ok here's the thing - "Levant" is a specific area that is more western part of ME along Mediterranean coastline. I could say - "western Middle East" I guess. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 11:13, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Good point. I'd let it stand, then.--Wehwalt (talk) 11:21, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • " Black storks summering in western Asia, migrate to northern and northeastern India" I might cut the comma
Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 03:58, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • " Black storks summering in western Asia, migrate to northern and northeastern India,[17] ranging mainly from Punjab south to Karnataka,[24] and Africa.[16] It is an occasional visitor to Sri Lanka." there's something of a tendency to switch from the singular to the plural and back again that you may want to watch in this article.
Fixed it now. Adityavagarwal (talk) 12:17, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "southern China, although occasionally further south, in Myanmar, northern Thailand, Hong Kong and Laos." I'm not sure Hong Kong is south of Southern China.
Good point - tweaked. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 05:16, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "no longer breeding in the south since 1966." I might put it "but there are no records of it breeding there since 1966". Something like that.
Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 04:13, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "Similarly it has been seen in the summer in Afghanistan, but is unknown if it breeds there. [17]" I think you need a "it" before ""is unknown". There is a vagrant space before the footnote.
Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 04:13, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "A broad-winged soaring bird, the black stork is assisted by thermals of hot air for long distance flight, although are less dependent on them than the white stork.[32][33]" There might need to be an "is" before "white". There's also a grammar problem, again singular/plural
I think you mean "is" before "the white stork", to make "is the white stork"? If so, I fixed that. Adityavagarwal (talk) 04:13, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "and many black storks travel south going through the Bosphorus,[33][17] " I might cut "going", also the refs are not in numerical order. Though I suspect you are doing more important first.
Removed "going". Also, I think now the refs throughout the article are in numerical order . Adityavagarwal (talk) 04:13, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "The trip is around 5,667 km (3,521 mi) via the western route and 7,000 km (4,300 mi) via the eastern route, with satellite tracking yielding an average travel time of 37 and 80 days respectively[23] The western route goes over the Rock of Gibraltar of over the Bay of Gibraltar, generally on a southwesterly track that takes them to the central part of the Straight, from where they reach Morocco.[35][34] Missing full stop, and I think you mean "strait" not "Straight".
Woops! Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 04:13, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
"The western route goes over the Rock of Gibraltar of over the Bay of Gibraltar, generally on a southwesterly track that takes them to the central part of the straight," It's a strait, not a straight, was what I was trying to say :) and I think you mean "or", not "of"--Wehwalt (talk) 11:31, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Woops again! :P You said right; I read wrong earlier. Fixed it now. Adityavagarwal (talk) 12:17, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "which might be due to the frequent flapping flights " I'm not sure what is meant by this.
I didn't write that but it relates to the fact that black storks are not as heavily reliant on gliding (which requires thermals and is better done on land) as white storks, ad hence some fly across the Mediterranean to Tunisia. It was not worded well. But as the explanation occurs up the paragraph I have removed the second mention. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 15:35, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "Pesticide use has threatened birdlife in Doñana.[37]" In the park? If outside I might toss a "nearby" in.
Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 04:13, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "A wary species, the black stork avoids contact with people.[16] It is generally found alone or in pairs, or in flocks of up to a 100 birds when migrating,[38] or over winter.[16]" Possibly better to substitute "hundred" for "100" here.
Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 04:13, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "Adults will do so when angered or as part of mating ritual. The young clatter their bills when aroused.[39]" the "aroused" might be interpreted as "sexually" given the "mating ritual" so close by.
..except that they are young that do not mate...but I see your point. Unfortunately I can't think of a tidy synonym so best I can do is swap the mating and anger in the previous sentence to distance it a little more. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 15:38, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "Here a stork positions its body horizontally and quickly bobs its head up from down-facing to around 30 degrees above horizontal and back again, and displaying the white segments of its plumage prominently, and this is repeated several times. " I might say "while displaying" rather than "and displaying"
Tweaked.
  • "It may feed on amphibians, small reptiles, crabs, mammals and birds, and invertebrates such as snails,[1] molluscs,[43][42] earthworms, and insects such as water beetles and their larvae.[43][42]" I might try to avoid the multiple "such as".
Tweaked. Used "like" instead. Adityavagarwal (talk) 04:13, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "The storks chose the largest trees in an area, generally on steeper ground and near streams. Trees chosen were on average over 90 years old.[45] In the Iberian peninsula it nests in pine and cork oak" an example of the switch from plural to singular.
Tweaked.
  • ", the black stork may occupy ... and commonly reuse them in successive years." Should this be "reuses"?
Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 04:13, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "animal-fur" I don't see why the hyphen, though it may be an ENGVAR thing.
No, and removed. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 05:09, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "sharing duties, which commences " commence?
Tweaked. Adityavagarwal (talk) 04:13, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • "The young start flying by the end of July.[43] Fledging takes 60 to 71 days," As you've mentioned hatching at the end of May, is there a slight amount of redundancy here?
Hmm...I think the extra highlighting of a time of year is not a bad thing...sometimes these things don't awalys follow. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 15:41, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • It might be useful to say why they are hunted. Meat? Eggs?
The impression I get is it is for sport, but the source doesn't spell it out. I guess it's like duck shooting. they sometimes eat them but often not... Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 15:41, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • That's all I have. I can't say I'm familiar with the bird, but I shall look out or it henceforth.--Wehwalt (talk) 15:39, 14 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • Could you guys ping me when the article's ready for another look? Much obliged.--Wehwalt (talk) 15:18, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, I would ping you once your comments have been addressed. Adityavagarwal (talk) 15:29, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
O-kay @Wehwalt: we've at least tried to answer every point as of now..so we're ready for another lookover. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 15:42, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Support, looks to be as you said. Only suggestion on second look is an awful lot of paragraphs begin with "The black stork", if you can find ways to mix it up a bit, it might be good, but that's really stylistic.--Wehwalt (talk) 16:02, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
I guess there is no more need to ping you. :P Lighting speed by Cas, as always! Adityavagarwal (talk) 16:05, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • This is something I might ordinarily have reviewed, but if you'd rather I didn't do a full review either because all three of us are Wikicup participants, or because this has received enough scrutiny already, let me know. It would take me a few days to get to it in any case. Vanamonde (talk) 05:39, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Not fussed either way really. I don't think the wikicup is an issue, just see if it is still around when you're going to review it and if it's still here its still here and if not then not. I'll be grateful for all input Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 05:41, 15 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.