假猫头鹰和其他诱饵有用吗?

假猫头鹰和其他诱饵有用吗?

Maybe you've seen a scarecrow perched in a field or a plastic owl standing guard over a garden. The idea is that the decoy will scare away birds and small mammals from feasting on whatever goodies lie below. But do the fake people and pseudo-avian predators really do the trick?

也许你看到过一个稻草人栖息在田野里，或者一只塑料猫头鹰守卫着花园。他们的想法是，这种诱饵会吓跑鸟类和小型哺乳动物，使它们不敢享用下面的美食。但是这些假人和伪鸟类捕食者真的能成功吗?

With his frightening eyes, an owl decoy might scare away some birds. (Photo: rck_953/Shutterstock)

Scarecrows have long been the method of choice to dissuade birds from feasting on seeds and growing crops. They're often stick-like mannequins dressed in old clothes and placed in fields and gardens to ward off crows, sparrows and other hungry birds.

稻草人长期以来一直是阻止鸟类吃种子和种植庄稼的首选方法。它们通常是穿着旧衣服的粘乎乎的人体模型，被放置在田野和花园中，用来驱赶乌鸦、麻雀和其他饥饿的鸟类。

But one of the problems with scarecrows is they just stand there. Sooner or later, the birds figure out that the stick guy is no person because he just doesn't budge. Once they realize that, fear flies away.

但是稻草人的问题之一是他们只是站在那里。迟早，鸟儿们会发现树枝人不是人，因为它就是不动。一旦它们意识到这一点，就不再恐惧了。

Wising up to owls

警惕猫头鹰

This pigeon has gotten used to his plastic owl pal. (Photo: Eric Buemeyer/Shutterstock)

Realizing that scare-people aren't all that scary, inventors came up with new and improved decoys. They tried owls because so many birds and small mammals, like rabbits, are frightened of the winged predator.

意识到恐惧——人并没有那么可怕，发明家想出了新的和改进的诱饵。他们尝试猫头鹰是因为很多鸟类和小型哺乳动物，比如兔子，害怕有翅膀的捕食者。

Farmers, backyard gardeners, building managers and homeowners hang plastic owls in hopes hungry animals will recognize the owl shape and stay away. And that works, at least for a time.

农民、后院园丁、建筑经理和房主们悬挂塑料猫头鹰，希望饥饿的动物能认出猫头鹰的形状，并远离它们。这至少在一段时间内有效。

The birds wised up, however. After a few days, they realized the owl was fake and returned to the feeder.

然而，鸟儿们还是反应了过来。几天后，它们意识到这只猫头鹰是假的，就回到了喂食器旁。

So it's the scarecrow problem all over again. If something just sits there — no matter how frightening it appears at first glance — birds figure out it's not all that scary.

所以这又是稻草人的问题。如果有什么东西只是坐在那里——不管第一眼看上去多么可怕——鸟类会发现它并不那么可怕。

Movement is key

能动是关键

Large farms might use dancing tube men to scare away hungry birds. (Photo: Michael Warwick/Shutterstock)

Fake owls might work if you need to keep birds or animals away from somewhere for just a day or two. Or you could move your plastic owl around your house or garden so it looks like it's real. Some people also tie it to a rope so it sways and moves, almost like it's flying.

如果你需要让鸟类或动物离开某个地方一两天，假猫头鹰可能会有用。或者你可以把你的塑料猫头鹰搬到你的房子或花园里，让它看起来像真的一样。有些人还把它绑在绳子上，让它摇摆和移动，就像它在飞一样。

There are also special products that move and bounce constantly to convince hungry visitors they are keeping guard.

还有一些特殊的产品，可以不断地移动和弹跳，让饥饿的游客相信他们在保持警惕。

Some large farms have also turned to those inflatable tube men that you often see outside car dealerships. They dance and shimmy and whip their appendages all around. No bird would dare go near them.

一些大型农场也转向了那些你经常在汽车经销店外看到的充气管工。它们跳舞，摇摆，挥舞着它们的附属物。没有一只鸟敢靠近它们。

Deterrents in the water

水中的阻吓物

It isn't just birds that are sometimes fooled by pretend predators. Surfers are finding their own decoys to try to deter sharks.

不仅仅是鸟类有时会被伪装的捕食者愚弄。冲浪者正在寻找自己的诱饵，试图阻止鲨鱼。

A company named Shark Eyes offers huge eye-shaped stickers that can be attached to surfboards, clothing and diving gear. The company says it, "aims to trick the shark into thinking it's been spotted, thereby removing the element of surprise and deterring an attack."

一家名为Shark Eyes的公司提供巨大的眼形贴纸，可以贴在冲浪板、衣服和潜水装备上。该公司表示，“目的是欺骗鲨鱼，让它以为自己被发现了，从而消除了意外的因素，并阻止攻击。”

Richard Pierce, conservationist and founder of the Shark Conservation Society, tells Insider the eyes make sense as a deterrent.

保护主义者、鲨鱼保护协会创始人理查德·皮尔斯告诉Insider网站，眼睛有威慑作用。

"Great Whites are primarily ambush predators," he said, "and so it could be that if they were convinced their prey was observing them, they make look for an easier opportunity elsewhere."

“大白鲨主要是埋伏的捕食者，”他说，“因此，如果它们确信它们的猎物在观察它们，它们可能会在其他地方寻找更容易的机会。”