Discriminant Criteria for Field Sexing in the Eurasian Tree Sparrow by Combining Body Size and Plumage Features
, Diego Villanúa 1, Lander Goñi 1 and Guillermo Blanco 3,*
Esa Lehikoinen
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
You need to describe the method of wing length measurement. Did you control for body fat score in body mass analysis? It remains unclear if you used width only for the bib, or width*length as your figure suggests. You could have more data from other areas to compare sex differences, althoug for the main subject of your paper this theme is not necessary. But when you mention Hungary, you are going to this direction already. Here is one suggestion Piha, M. & Lehikoinen, E. 2015. Body mass and wing length of birds based on ringing data base -Part 1. Non-corvid passerines. The Yearbook of Linnut Magazine 2015:142-151. (longer wings in the north, sex difference more or less similar to yours). In my own recent data: sex difference in wing is 72.84-70.45 and in mass 23.20-22.96. These data are year round and probably therefore in this data body mass difference is small.
Author Response
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
I carefully read the manuscript entitled “Discriminant criteria for field sexing in the tree sparrow by combining body size and plumage features”. The authors are very informative and descriptive and the ms has the potential to provide valuable information for future field studies. The data were analyzed properly and the presentation of the data was properly arranged. Below are some minor comments:
Materials and methods: please add subheadings (2.1 study area, 2.2 field data collection, 2.3 molecular analyses, 2.4 statistical analyses). Add a map of the study area. Also, add references about mist-netting, the measurement techniques and the morphometric variables used.
Line 74: substitute “has” with “ha”
Lines 78-79: rewrite “During winter, these birds roost in some small reed beds (Phragmites australis) that were interspersed between pear orchard fields”
Line 80: rewrite “Sparrows” as “sparrows”
Line 83: the link is not corresponding
Line 85: As I understand the authors measured the 3rd primary. Perhaps it is more accurate to substitute the 8th downward with the 3rd in the text in order to cause no confusion.
Line 111: substitute “test” with “tested”
Line 120: please write the species and the statistical method in the caption of the table in order to have information that stand alone. Also, add a bold line under the bold headings of the table.
Line 126: add the study species in the caption of the figure
Author Response
Review Report 2:
I carefully read the manuscript entitled “Discriminant criteria for field sexing in the tree sparrow by combining body size and plumage features”. The authors are very informative and descriptive and the ms has the potential to provide valuable information for future field studies. The data were analyzed properly and the presentation of the data was properly arranged. Below are some
Materials and methods: please add subheadings (2.1 study area, 2.2 field data collection, 2.3 molecular analyses, 2.4 statistical analyses).
DONE
Add a map of the study area.
DONE
Also, add references about mist-netting, the measurement techniques and the morphometric variables used.
we have added the reference to Busse AND Meissner, 2015, WHO EXPLAINS THE MIST-NETTING METHODOLOGY AND Svensson, 1992, who explains in detail the correct methodology for obtaining the measurements OF THE WING AND TARSUS.
Line 74: substitute “has” with “ha”
DONE
Lines 78-79: rewrite “During winter, these birds roost in some small reed beds (Phragmites australis) that were interspersed between pear orchard fields”
DONE
Line 80: rewrite “Sparrows” as “sparrows”
DONE
Line 83: the link is not corresponding
The cr-birding website, where our project is registered, is currently out of service. As hopefully it will be restored soon, we prefer to keep the link even if it temporarily doesn't work.
Line 85: As I understand the authors measured the 3rd primary. Perhaps it is more accurate to substitute the 8th downward with the 3rd in the text in order to cause no confusion.
DONE. We have replaced 8th with 3RD and we have added the reference to Svensson, 1992, who uses this numbering and explains in detail the correct methodology for obtaining these measurements.
Line 111: substitute “test” with “tested”
DONE
Line 120: please write the species and the statistical meth a bold line under the bold headings of the table.
DONE
Line 126: add the study species in the caption of the figure
DONE
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
