評論
打印
So what conclusions can be drawn from the research?
從這項研究中，能得出什么結論呢？
Evidence is building up from experiments such as these that the birds are able to plan their actions in advance, which is very interesting for understanding their cognition.
這些及其類似的實驗都提供證據表明，鳥類有能力提前計劃自己的行動，這對于理解鳥類認知能力來說非常有趣。
They don't seem to be responding in a pre-programmed sort of way.
鳥類的反應似乎不是預先設定好的。
It may even be possible that they're able to view a problem and work out what the answer is.
更可能的情況是，鳥類有能力觀察問題，然后想出解決方法。
However, a major difficulty is assessing whether this tool-using behavior is a sign of intelligence.
不論如何，主要的難題在于評估這種使用工具的行為是否智力的體現。
To some extent, this is related to the ecological circumstances in which the animal is found.
某種程度而言，這和動物所處的生態環境也有關系。
So scientists want to find out much more about how the crows behave in their native habitat, and a team from Exeter and Oxford universities is carrying out research in New Caledonia.
所以科學家希望了解更多烏鴉在天然棲息地（環境下）的表現，來自埃克塞特大學和牛津大學的研究隊伍在新喀里多尼亞進行了一些調研。
They're looking into whether the birds' way of searching for food gives them any possible evolutionary advantage.
他們探究的是鳥類的覓食方式能否作為它們的進化優勢。
The birds are hard to observe, as they live in a region of mountainous forest, so the researchers have attached tiny cameras to the tails of some birds, as one method of investigating their behavior.
要觀察到這些鳥類實在很困難，因為烏鴉們生活在山區森林中，所以研究人員得在一些鳥的尾部安裝上微型照相機來調查它們的行為。
The birds are masters at using sticks to find their food, in particular beetle larvae from the trees.
這些烏鴉非常精通于用小棍子覓食，特別是尋找樹上的甲蟲幼蟲。
It's possible that the birds can derive so much energy from these grubs that they only need to eat a few each day.
可能的情況是，烏鴉能從這些食物（甲蟲幼蟲）中吸收到大量能量，所以它們一天只需要吃幾只甲蟲即可。
This would mean that they wouldn't have to spend most of their waking time searching for food, as most animals do.
這意味著，它們不需要花費大量的時間來覓食，大部分動物則需要這么做。
The beetle larvae have a distinct chemical make-up, which can be traced through the feathers and blood of birds that eat them.
甲蟲幼蟲的化學成分非常特殊。以此為食的鳥，其羽毛和血液中都能追蹤到甲蟲的特征。
Scientists have collected samples from crows in order to estimate the proportion of larvae in their diet.
科學家從烏鴉上收集到了一些樣本，以估計甲蟲幼蟲在其食物中所占比例。
They should then be able to gauge the extent to which individual birds depend on using sticks to feed themselves.
然后科學家應該就能估計出一只鳥在多大程度上依賴使用小棍子來喂飽自己了。
We've learnt a great deal about the ability of New Caledonian crows to use tools, and some very interesting research is being carried out into them.
從新喀里多尼亞烏鴉使用工具的能力中，我們學到了許多知識，而且在此領域，人們還做了一些很有趣的研究。
