Template:Did you know nominations/Helen Hays (ornithologist)

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Narutolovehinata5 ^tccsdnew 13:01, 1 December 2018 (UTC)

Helen Hays (ornithologist) edit

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Helen Hays on Great Gull Island

~~... that since 1969, ornithologist Helen Hays (pictured) has lived half the year on an island owned by American Museum of Natural History?~~ Source: "[T]he American Museum of Natural History bought the old fort and asked [Hays] to pay a visit...Working out of the old barracks, she and a handful of volunteers are the only ones living here six months a year." CBS News "Ms. Hays, who since 1969 has lived on the island six months a year" NYT
- ALT1:... that in the half-century of ornithologist Helen Hays's (pictured) conservation work, the ~~near-extinct~~ tern population of Great Gull Island increased tenfold? Source: "The terns were on the verge of extinction. Hunters seeking their beautiful feathers for hats decimated the population in the early 20th century. As few as 2,500 birds remained...Today their numbers are thriving: some 26,000 terns are on the island" CBS News
- ALT2:... that across a half-century of conservation work by ornithologist Helen Hays (pictured), the ~~near-extinct~~ tern population of Great Gull Island increased tenfold? Source: "The terns were on the verge of extinction. Hunters seeking their beautiful feathers for hats decimated the population in the early 20th century. As few as 2,500 birds remained...Today their numbers are thriving: some 26,000 terns are on the island" CBS News

Reviewed: Template:Did_you_know_nominations/Tom_Adeyemi

Created by The lorax (talk) and Innisfree987 (talk). Nominated by Innisfree987 (talk) at 05:11, 18 October 2018 (UTC).

Interesting life, on good sources, no copyvio obvious. The image is licensed, but a little "restless" in small size, it also shows no island but interior. I'd prefer ALT1 (not just living somewhere but results!), but please reword it in a way without possessive followed by the pictured-clause, best no possessive at all but her active ;) - Also waiting for qpq. - Suggestions for the article: find a way to have the link to Island before the committee, and mention what ALT1 says in the lead. Try to avoid one-sentence paragraphs, and merge the Manhattan sence to somewhere else, - doesn't deserve its own para ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:23, 18 October 2018 (UTC)

Thanks so much for all the feedback, Gerda Arendt. I've revised the hook, see if it seems better? I'm fine leaving off the picture if folks think it's not up to snuff, just wanted to note it's available. Next to turn to your suggestions for the entry, thanks again. Innisfree987 (talk) 03:43, 4 November 2018 (UTC)

Just to say, article now revised per suggestions as well. Thanks again for the input, I really think it improved the entry (I hope you'll think so too--please feel free to change anything you think could be done better, of course!) Innisfree987 (talk) 06:13, 4 November 2018 (UTC)

Please do not include the word "extinct" when describing historical population statuses of either common terns or roseate terns. Terms such as "near-extinct" and "verge of extinction" are factually incorrect and result only from hyperbole/misunderstanding by the CBS journalist. North American roseate tern populations were indeed devastated by the millinery trade in the nineteenth century and were saved only by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. North-eastern US populations rebounded until 1930, when the rising presence of humans increased predation by racoons and other animals. While regionally the terns were certainly threatened with extirpation, as a species with a global distribution, their survival has never been threatened. The IUCN Red List assessments only date back to 1988, where roseate terns were listed as "near threatened". Common terns are much more abundant and have never been at risk. Loopy30 (talk) 12:35, 18 October 2018 (UTC)

Could we simply drop the term? A tenfold increase seems impressive enough to me. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:38, 18 October 2018 (UTC)

Certainly! I had already corrected the article text to remove the term and did not want the DYK to be published with the same error. A tenfold increase (locally though, not globally!) is especially impressive because it occurred at a time when other regional breeding pair populations were still in decline. Loopy30 (talk) 12:57, 18 October 2018 (UTC)

Just to be clear, the hook as well as the sources refer to the risk of extinction of this colony, not the worldwide species. But I'm fine with not using the word extinction if some prefer. Innisfree987 (talk) 03:36, 4 November 2018 (UTC)

The article looks good in its present state and Hays is an interesting subject for a DYK. The objection to the term "locally extinct" is that it is an oxymoron and similar to saying that someone is "half-pregnant". A species cannot be both locally extant (elsewhere) and extinct, the correct term for this would be "extirpated". The most reliable (specialized) sources are clear on this, even if a (generally) reliable popular press source gets it confused. Loopy30 (talk) 13:46, 4 November 2018 (UTC)

New reviewer needed to finish this nomination. Thank you. BlueMoonset (talk) 19:48, 30 November 2018 (UTC)

Thanks Loopy30 for your input. This article is new enough and long enough. The article is neutral and I detected no copyright or close paraphrasing issues. The ALT1 and ALT2 (as amended) hook facts are sourced inline and I have struck the less interesting original hook. This is good to go. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 06:59, 1 December 2018 (UTC)