Wikipedia:Peer review/American Kestrel/archive1

American Kestrel

This peer review discussion has been closed.
I've listed this article for peer review because it's passed a thorough GA review, and I'm hoping to take it to FA eventually but I want to see what can be improved first. Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks, —focus 04:08, 28 November 2010 (UTC)

Comments from Casliber

I might try and hunt up some stuff tomorrow if I get time. Casliber (talk · contribs) 13:49, 2 December 2010 (UTC)

• Comprehensiveness - how do the subspecies differ from one another? Need some notes on each.
• Closest relatives within the genus Falco, there are several kestrel species around the world...

Comments from Jimfbleak

I've added a ref for linnaeus and for vagrancy Jimfbleak - talk to me? 15:09, 2 December 2010 (UTC)

• lead is too short, nothing on habitat, status, falconry
• This was due to a mistaken connection with the Eurasian Sparrowhawk in the genus Accipiter. up to 1983? Really? Can we have a ref for this please? Presumably the Peregrine, or Duck Hawk was mistaken for a duck (;
• Since all raptors are protected in the United States, it is illegal to possess one there without a permit — parochial if you are not giving status elsewhere
• egg size needs US units conversion
• Any specific predators? Any parasites?
• The taxonomy doesn't really mention the relationships within Falco. The kestrel article, for example , casts doubt on whether it's really a kestrel at all
• I'm not happy about giving url links to abstracts. The doi does this, and to put the url gives the impression that you are going to get the full text, when it's just a commercial sales site. A bit spammy
• The southeastern U.S. subspecies (Falco sparverius paulus) has declined 82% since 1940 ...Despite this, the American Kestrel is classed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. — Parochial given its huge range
• In a study, humans accounted for — sigh another url-linked ref that goes to a registration page only unless you pay, please mark refs like these subscription only. Please give the area covered by the study, since it seems improbable for Central and South America
• Population: The North American population has been estimated at 1.2 million pairs, with the Central and South American populations being as large. I can't access the pretend url, but this says The North America population is estimated to exceed 4,000,000 birds and comprise 75% of the global population. Why the discrepancy?

Comments from MeegsC

• One of my bugbears is a photo caption that doesn't really give the reader any useful information — like "A young bird in the sun". Is there really nothing more enlightening that we could impart here? How about "Kestrels typically hunt from a perch, waiting for prey to come close before striking." (or something of that ilk) Draw potential readers in to the article by engaging their curiosity! MeegsC | Talk 15:13, 2 December 2010 (UTC)
• Needs non-breaking spaces between all numbers and units — including hours, weeks, days, etc.
• This is fairly North American centric; there's very little about the non-migratory populations in Central and South America. (e.g. how is mate selection done there? what are survival rates like? any population data? declining due to pesticide use, etc.? how do northern migrants interact with local southern residents?)
• A good number of the referenced journal articles that you've pointed to are available for free reading/download at SORA archive (Searchable Ornithological Research Archive). Condor, Auk, Wilson Bulletin, Journal of Field Ornithology, etc. are all available there. It would be a better option to use these urls rather than the ones you're currently using.

Comments from Jimmy Pitt

• In the opening sentence, Western Hemisphere is an imprecise geographical description for a bird whose normal range only extends across the Americas.
• There's what appears to be a contradiction in the "Reproduction" section -- pair bonds are strong, often permanent immediately follows the female selects a mate (with its implication that this takes place each year on arrival at the breeding ground). Jimmy Pitt talk 11:54, 3 December 2010 (UTC)