Editorial Transparency
Sources & Corrections
CaRaptor's source register, correction log, and human-review queue. Updated as claims are verified, corrected, or retired.
This page documents the primary sources behind factual claims made across CaRaptor, records corrections to published content, and lists claims currently flagged for human editorial review before publication as verified reporting. The AB 1788 article is the editorial model: statute citation, effective date, exemption language, source note. All other articles are measured against that standard.
Direct Sources
Source Index
Every source linked directly to its agency page, statute, DOI, or institutional record. Organized by subject area.
Species biology
White, C.M., Clum, N.J., Cade, T.J., & Hunt, W.G. (2002). The Birds of North America, No. 660.
Supports: Peregrine falcon natural history, flight performance, and species recovery context
Tucker, V.A. (1998). Journal of Experimental Biology, 201(3), 403–414.
Supports: Vera's ~200 mph dive speed claim; theoretical maximum under optimal conditions
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (1999). Federal Register, 64(164), August 25, 1999.
Supports: Vera's statement that the peregrine was declared recovered in 1999
Kochert, M.N., Steenhof, K., McIntyre, C.L., & Craig, E.H. (2002). The Birds of North America, No. 684.
Supports: Aquila's territory size and habitat requirements
Marti, C.D. (1992). The Birds of North America, No. 1.
Supports: Sable's rodent predation biology and hearing anatomy
Smallwood, J.A., & Bird, D.M. (2002). The Birds of North America, No. 602.
Supports: Kael's species biology and population context
Poole, A.F., Bierregaard, R.O., & Martell, M.S. (2002). The Birds of North America, No. 683.
Supports: Riven's fish-predation specialization and distribution
Migration and habitat
Natural Resources Conservation Service. SNOTEL (SNOwpack TELemetry) Network.
Supports: Sierra Nevada snowpack decline claims; Aquila and Riven water references
California Department of Water Resources. California Cooperative Snow Surveys.
Supports: State-level snowpack monitoring; water allocation context
Mote, P.W. et al. (2018). npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, 1(1), 2.
Supports: Long-term snowpack decline across western US including Sierra Nevada
California State Water Resources Control Board. Water Rights and Instream Flows.
Supports: Riven's water allocation and instream flow references
NOAA Fisheries. West Coast Salmon and Steelhead Populations.
Supports: Riven's salmon run collapse references
Agriculture and grasslands
U.S. Geological Survey Breeding Bird Survey. Long-term trend data for Falco sparverius.
Supports: Kael's >50% regional decline claim; eastern North America long-term trend
McClure, C.J.W. et al. (2017). The Condor, 119(3), 445–458.
Supports: Kestrel population trends, monitoring approaches, and conservation status
California Department of Food and Agriculture. Pesticide Use Reporting.
Supports: Agricultural pesticide use context for Kael and Sable
Natural Resources Conservation Service. California Grassland and Rangeland.
Supports: San Joaquin Valley grassland conversion context
Raptor threats
Rattner, B.A. et al. (2014). Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 229, 1–95.
Supports: Sable's SGAR bioaccumulation and raptor mortality claims
California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Anticoagulant Rodenticide Regulatory Activities.
Supports: AB 1788 regulatory context; CDPR oversight of SGAR use
Hunt, W.G. et al. (2009). PLoS ONE, 4(4), e5016.
Supports: Mira's lead ammunition contamination claims
California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Lead Ammunition and Wildlife.
Supports: California lead ammunition ban context; Mira's urban ecology references
California State Water Resources Control Board. Mercury in San Francisco Bay.
Supports: Riven's mercury contamination references
Conservation law
California Health & Safety Code § 116455 et seq. (AB 1788, enacted 2020). Most covered prohibitions effective January 1, 2021.
Supports: All SGAR regulatory claims; Vera's and Sable's AB 1788 references
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (1999). Federal Register, 64(164).
Supports: Vera's 1999 recovery declaration
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
Supports: Raptor legal protection context across all characters
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
Supports: Aquila's legal protection context
California AB 1788 (2021). Wildlife Corridors Act.
Supports: Mira's Wildlife Corridors Act references
Human Review Required
Review Queue
Items that must be verified by a human editor before publication as reporting.
CDPR present-tense regulatory status
Location: Convene the Council — rodenticide topic prompt
The prompt states CDPR 'is reviewing' SGAR use. This is a present-tense regulatory status claim. CDPR regulatory activity is ongoing and subject to change. Must be verified against current CDPR records immediately before publication as reporting.
Peregrine dive speed — specific figure
Location: Ask a Raptor — Vera speed response; Meet the Raptors — Vera profile quote
The '200 mph' figure is consistent with Tucker (1998) theoretical model. The profile quote ('two hundred miles per hour') and simulated response ('approximately 200 miles per hour — that is the range documented in field measurements') require human verification that the Tucker model is being accurately characterized and that no more recent peer-reviewed field measurement supersedes it.
Kestrel decline — specific figure and region
Location: Meet the Raptors — Kael bio; Newsroom — 'Common Does Not Mean Stable'
The '50% in some regions' claim is qualified but requires a specific region, time period, and BBS stratum citation before publication as verified reporting. The eastern BBS region long-term trend supports the claim; the specific figure must be pulled from the current BBS trend estimator.
Sierra Nevada snowpack — specific figure
Location: Multiple pages — Aquila council responses; Riven council responses; Newsroom article deck
All snowpack claims are qualified. Before publication as verified reporting, the specific figure, baseline period, geography, and metric must be cited from NRCS SNOTEL or DWR data.
Barn owl rodent removal rate
Location: Convene the Council — Kael rodenticide response
The claim that barn owl families remove 'thousands of rodents per year' is qualified. The specific figure varies by study, territory size, and prey availability. A specific peer-reviewed citation is required before publication as verified reporting.
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta — 'most hydrologically altered estuary'
Location: Convene the Council — Riven water response
Riven's claim that the Delta is 'the most hydrologically altered estuary in the western United States' is a superlative requiring a specific peer-reviewed or agency citation before publication as verified reporting.
Primary Sources
Source Register
Primary sources for factual claims across CaRaptor. Click any entry to expand sources and editorial notes.
Sources
Theoretical model of peregrine stoop. Estimated maximum speed ~320 km/h (~200 mph) under optimal conditions. Does not represent a field measurement.
Orton, K. (2016). Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) stooping speed measured by GPS data logger. Unpublished field data cited in popular accounts; peer-reviewed publication status requires verification.
Widely cited field measurement of ~186 mph (299 km/h). Peer-reviewed publication status and methodology require verification before use as a primary source.
Editorial note
The '240 mph' figure circulates widely in popular literature but lacks a specific peer-reviewed citation. The character's quote ('two hundred miles per hour') is closer to the documented field measurement range. The simulated response has been qualified to reflect this. Human review required before any specific figure is published as verified reporting.
Correction Record
Corrections Log
All corrections preserve the original publication date and record the correction date, substance, and type.
Location
Newsroom page — JSON-LD ItemList entry for 'The Water That Is No Longer There'
Original
Sierra Nevada snowpack has declined 30% since 1950.
Correction
Removed specific quantified figure from JSON-LD. Replaced with: 'Sierra Nevada snowpack has declined significantly since the mid-twentieth century according to multiple datasets. Specific figures vary by period, geography, and methodology.' The visible article deck already used this qualified language; the JSON-LD contradicted it.
Location
Ask a Raptor — Kael insects response
Original
Insect populations in the San Joaquin Valley have declined by an estimated 40-60% since 1970.
Correction
Removed specific quantified figure. Replaced with: 'Insect populations in the San Joaquin Valley have declined substantially since the mid-twentieth century according to available monitoring data — specific figures vary by taxon, geography, and survey method, and the exact scale of decline in this region requires source verification.'
Location
Ask a Raptor — Riven mercury response
Original
Hydraulic mining deposited an estimated 26 million cubic yards of mercury-laden sediment into the Sacramento River watershed.
Correction
Removed specific quantified figure. Replaced with: 'Hydraulic mining deposited enormous volumes of mercury-laden sediment into the Sacramento River watershed — estimates in the historical and regulatory literature vary; the specific figure requires source and period verification before publication as reporting.'
Location
Ask a Raptor — Sable default2 response
Original
The Central Valley has lost more than 95% of its native grassland.
Correction
Replaced with: 'estimates in the conservation literature suggest more than 90% converted, though the specific figure varies by baseline year and methodology.'
Location
Convene the Council — Kael rodenticide response
Original
A single barn owl family removes 3,000 rodents per year.
Correction
Replaced with: 'Barn owl families are documented to remove thousands of rodents per year — the specific figure varies by study, territory size, and prey availability, and requires source verification before publication as reporting.'
Location
Convene the Council — Sable water response
Original
The Central Valley has lost 95% of its wetlands.
Correction
Replaced with: 'estimates in the conservation literature suggest 90% or more converted, though the specific figure varies by baseline year and methodology.'
Location
Ask a Raptor — Vera speed response
Original
Vera dives at 240 miles per hour.
Correction
Qualified to reflect documented field measurements (~186 mph, Orton field data) vs. theoretical models (~200 mph, Tucker 1998). The character's profile quote ('two hundred miles per hour') is retained as closer to the documented range. The simulated response now distinguishes field measurement from theoretical maximum.
This page is part of CaRaptor's editorial transparency commitment. Source submissions, corrections, and factual challenges may be sent to hello@caraptor.com. Material corrections are entered in the T. Stanford Studios network correction register.