For Newfoundland Robin, the Top Identifier is listed as cgbc: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/719063-Turdus-migratorius-nigrideus
Unfortunately, all but one of cgbc’s IDs have subsequently been overturned by the community. If you click on the leaderboard, you can see that it correctly reflects this. However, Top Identifier doesn’t update.
-TKbird
The two numbers measure slightly different things. The one on the taxon page shows who has placed ID’s at or within the taxon the most times, regardless of what community ID the observations end up with – including mavericks. While the identifier leaderboard counts the number of observations in the given set ID’d by each person. So both can be misleading depending on what you’re looking for. (For instance, if someone went and agreed with “Aves” on all of those observations, they would shoot to the top of leaderboard, but wouldn’t show up on the taxon page).
And then the “Top identifiers” list on an observation page is a third measurement!
Intriguing! It seems odd that that is the intended behavior. Generally when one sees a leader listed and a leaderboard linked underneath, one would expect the two to measure the same thing.
Personally, it seems to me that it would make the most sense to sync all three Top Identifier lists to be the users with the most IDs of the taxon in question that are not maverick or made at a higher level. Other users may tag Top Identifiers in hopes of getting an ID, and if those tagged tend to make maverick IDs or haven’t actually ID’d at the taxon’s level, this would be counterproductive.
But I guess this isn’t a bug after all.
Actually, it doesn’t seem that any of that person’s IDs have been overturned - the taxon page is showing the ones where they have placed a subspecies ID, but the community ID is still only at species (nobody has agreed OR disagreed with the subspecies).
The leaderboard page seems to only show the one where someone else has agreed, making the subspecies ID the comminty ID.
In the same way that you thoughtfully consider your ID on an obs - before you @mention an unknown ‘identifier’ - thoughtfully consider
Their profile description. What interests them? Where?
Do they welcome requests for help, or prefer NOT? Thank you.
Look at some of their recent obs.
Look at their IDs.
Still want to ask them to help? Go for it. I am amazed how an @mention or two can take an Unknown to RG at sp in hours!
3 hours for a sp with only 7 obs on iNat.
In these cases, it is true that the community has not disagreed in the sense of IDing to a different subspecies. This is because several ssp. are possible and cannot be distinguished from the evidence provided. However, Newfoundland Robin is not among these possible subspecies; this is why the observations are only species level despite the ssp. ID, and the way in which the community ID disagrees with the ssp. ID.
I agree with you. I’m merely guessing about how others may use the features provided. We can always hope people will take the extra steps to be responsible, but a platform that helps those who don’t to still make reasonable decisions will promote data quality.
Perhaps I’m mis-understanding what you’re saying, but observation subspecies doesn’t update until it gets 2 confirmations - for example, observation gets 2 IDs of “Species A” it becomes RG as “Species A”. When a third person IDs it as “Species A, Subspecies B” the display name remains “Species A” unless someone else confirms the subspecies, at which point it becomes research grade as “Species A, Subspecies B”. So there is no disagreement involved, merely a lack of confirmation.
Looking back, I realize you’re correct, I misremembered this aspect of the situation. I was thinking of ID’s such as wolfsden’s on this observation of a different ssp: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/104159976. I don’t think this affects my broader point, though. (Which, just in case anyone is suspecting, has nothing to do with me wanting to be the Top Identifier. The inconsistency just seems like a bug.)
iNat misses the ssp at Needs ID step - and leaps straight from sp at RG to ssp at RG. Which is disconcerting, and not logical. Provokes me to add a ‘supporting ssp’ ID.
I have moved this to the General category.