BreakingNews·190809 - 儿童大小的鹦鹉曾经生活在新西兰

Scientists have found fossils that once belonged to a giant parrot. They say the fossilized bones are from the biggest parrot that ever lived. It was probably as tall as a three-year-old child and weighed around eight kilograms. The researchers found the fossils in New Zealand. They have called the new parrot Hercules, after a strongman of ancient Greek mythology. The scientists studied the fossilized leg bones they found and said Hercules was around a metre tall. This means Hercules is twice the size of all other known parrots. The largest parrot scientists know of is the kakapo, a flightless bird that also lives in New Zealand. The kakapo is on the critically endangered species list.

科学家们发现了曾经属于一只巨型鹦鹉的化石。他们说这些骨头化石来自有史以来最大的鹦鹉。它可能和一个三岁的孩子一样高，重约8公斤。研究人员在新西兰发现了这些化石。他们把这只新鹦鹉命名为大力神，以古希腊神话中的一位铁腕人物命名。科学家们研究了他们发现的腿骨化石，称大力神大约有一米高。这意味着大力神是所有已知鹦鹉的两倍大。科学家所知道的最大的鹦鹉是鸮鹦鹉，一种不会飞的鸟，也生活在新西兰。鸮鹦鹉在极度濒危物种名单上。

New Zealand is famous for its flightless birds. The kiwi is a symbol of the country. Scientists say these are vulnerable. This means they could become endangered if their environment stays the same. Another famous New Zealand bird is the 3.6-metre-tall moa. These flightless birds were the biggest birds that ever lived. They were overhunted to extinction early in the 15th century. Hercules lived about 19 million years ago. A researcher said it probably ate nuts, fruit and seeds, and "perhaps even other parrots". A researcher said: "New Zealand is well known for its giant birds. Until now, no one has ever found an extinct giant parrot, anywhere. There are many more unexpected species yet to be discovered."

新西兰以其不会飞的鸟而闻名。几维鸟是这个国家的象征。科学家们说这些都是脆弱的。这意味着，如果环境保持不变，它们可能会受到威胁。另一种著名的新西兰鸟是3.6米高的恐鸟。这些不会飞的鸟是有史以来最大的鸟。在15世纪早期，它们因过度捕猎而灭绝。大力神生活在一千九百万年前。一名研究人员说，它可能吃坚果、水果和种子，“甚至可能吃其他鹦鹉”。一位研究人员说:“新西兰以其巨大的鸟类而闻名。到目前为止，还没有人在任何地方发现过灭绝的巨型鹦鹉。还有更多意想不到的物种有待发现。”