关于古怪的鸮鹦鹉的事实

关于古怪的鸮鹦鹉的事实

The kakapo is an unusual bird. The world's largest parrot was common throughout its native New Zealand until predators hunted it to the brink of extinction. Now the stocky green-and-yellow bird is critically endangered and lives only on four islands off the coast of New Zealand. It's the focus of a considerable conservation effort from the New Zealand Department of Conservation's Kakapo Recovery program. There are currently 211 known adult birds, each named and extensively monitored. That's a big jump from 1995, when there were only 51 known birds.

鸮鹦鹉是一种不同寻常的鸟。世界上最大的鹦鹉在它的祖国新西兰随处可见，直到食肉动物将它猎杀到灭绝的边缘。现在这种粗壮的黄绿相间的鸟已经濒临灭绝，只生活在新西兰海岸附近的四个岛屿上。这是新西兰自然保护部鸮鹦鹉恢复计划的重点保护对象。目前已知的成年鸟类有211只，每只都被命名并受到广泛监测。与1995年相比，这是一个很大的飞跃，当时只有51只已知的鸟类。

Sirocco has become the ambassador parrot for kakapo conservation. (Photo: New Zealand Department of Conservation [CC BY 2.0]/Flickr)

From its funky facial hair to its elaborate courtship rituals, the kakapo is certainly special. Here are some strange facts about this unique bird.

从它时髦的胡须到复杂的求偶仪式，鸮鹦鹉的确很特别。以下是关于这种独特鸟类的奇怪的事实。

This bird doesn't really look like a parrot.

这只鸟看起来不像鹦鹉。

The kakapo looks more like an owl. It has a whisker-y face that looks as if it's sporting muttonchops or sideburns.

鸮鹦鹉看起来更像猫头鹰。它有一张胡须般浓密的脸，看起来就像是在炫耀自己的胡子或鬓角。

Every kakapo has a name.

每只鸮鹦鹉都有名字。

The first kakapo chick of the 2016 breeding season. (Photo: New Zealand Department of Conservation)

Because there are so few birds, all kakapo have names. They are named by members of the Kakapo Recovery program. Older birds were typically given English language names like Boomer, Flossie and Ruth. More recent chicks have Maori names such as Ra, Ruapuke and Taeatanga. Some birds have been named for people who are involved in conservation efforts. For example, Attenborough was named in honor of conservationist Sir David Attenborough.

因为鸮鹦鹉很少，所以它们都有名字。它们由鸮鹦鹉恢复计划的成员命名。年龄较大的鸟通常被起英文名，如Boomer、Flossie和Ruth。最近的雏鸟有毛利人的名字，如Ra、Ruapuke和Taeatanga。一些鸟类以参与保护工作的人的名字命名。例如，阿滕伯勒是为了纪念环保主义者大卫·阿滕伯勒爵士而命名的。

It's a nocturnal loner.

它是夜行者。

Its name means "night parrot" in Maori because it prefers solo nighttime walkabouts. Kakapo Recovery calls the parrot a "midnight rambler" due to its penchant for sleeping all day and wandering through the forest alone at night. These birds typically tuck themselves into a tree during the day and head out as a party of one in the evening to find food. These birds look for company only when it's time to breed.

它的名字在毛利语中的意思是“夜鹦鹉”，因为它更喜欢独自夜间漫步。Kakapo Recovery称这只鹦鹉为“午夜漫步者”，因为它喜欢整天睡觉，晚上独自在森林里漫步。这些鸟通常会在白天把自己塞到树上，晚上和其他鸟类一起出去觅食。这些鸟只有在繁殖的时候才会寻找同伴。

Kakapo are single mothers.

Kakapo是单身母亲。

Three kakapo chicks check out the world. Their mom will feed them until they're 6 months old. (Photo: New Zealand Department of Conservation [CC BY 2.0]/Flickr)

After the business of breeding is over, males abandon the females to let them raise their chicks alone. The female usually lays one to four eggs. She has to leave the newborn chicks alone at night while she looks for food. Typically, the chicks leave the nest after about 10 weeks, but often a mother will continue to feed them until they reach 6 months old.

当繁殖期结束后，雄鸮鹦鹉会抛弃雌鸮鹦鹉，让它们独自抚养小企鹅。雌性通常产一到四个蛋。当她在晚上寻找食物时，她不得不让新生的小鸡独自呆着。通常情况下，雏鸟会在10周后离开巢，但通常母亲会继续喂养它们，直到它们长到6个月大。

It makes some unusual noises.

它发出一些不寻常的声音。

Boom-chings aside, the kakapo squawks like a typical parrot, but it has a more varied vocabulary. Some of its other noises sound like a donkey's bray or a pig's squeal.

撇开嗡嗡声不谈，鸮鹦鹉像典型的鹦鹉一样嘎嘎叫，但它的词汇更丰富。它的其他一些声音听起来像驴叫或猪叫。

They freeze when noticed.

一旦被发现，他们就会被吓呆。

A kakapo will stay totally still if the bird thinks it has been seen. (Photo: New Zealand Department of Conservation [CC BY 2.0]/Flickr)

It may not the most successful mode of defense, but when a kakapo is disturbed or frightened, it keeps absolutely still and hopes it won't get noticed. The kakapo likely developed this behavior when most of New Zealand's predators were birds and freezing might have worked.

它可能不是最成功的防御方式，但当一只鸮鹦鹉受到干扰或惊吓时，它会保持绝对的安静，并希望自己不会被发现。鸮鹦鹉的这种行为可能是在新西兰的大多数捕食者都是鸟类的时候形成的，而呆住可能起了作用。