假如我是一只鸟
"A bird's experience is far richer, complex, and 'thoughtful' than I'd imagined."
“鸟类的经历比我想象的更丰富、更复杂、更'有思想’。”
This sentence on the first page of David Allen Sibley's What It's Like to Be a Bird is a stunner.
大卫·艾伦·西伯利的《当鸟是什么感觉》一书的第一页上的这句话令人震惊。
A renowned author-illustrator of bird field guides, Sibley is a top bird expert.
西伯利是一位著名的鸟类领域指南的作者和插画家，也是一位顶尖的鸟类专家。
When he did research for this new volume, though, he became convinced of something he had not previously anticipated: Birds routinely make complex decisions and experience emotions.
然而，当他为这本新书做研究时，他开始相信一件他之前没有预料到的事情:鸟类通常会做出复杂的决定并且可以体验到情感。
"And if that was news to me after a lifetime of watching birds," Sibley writes, "it must be surprising to other people as well."
西伯利写道:“如果这对观察了一辈子鸟的我来说都是新闻的话，那么别人一定也会感到惊讶。”
Wholly engaging, What It's Like to be a Bird is a feast for the mind and, thanks to Sibley's gorgeous illustrations, the eye.
《当鸟是什么感觉》这本书引人入胜，是美味的精神食粮，因为西伯利配的精美插图，也成了一场视觉大餐。
Often when birds forage, they think.
当鸟类觅食时，它们通常会思考。
Titmice are small songbirds related to chickadees who use reasoning to figure out which seeds offer the best return for effort expended.
山雀是一种与山雀有亲缘关系的小型鸣禽，它们通过推理来找出哪种种子对付出的努力有最好的回报。
It won't automatically be the biggest seeds around, because "if a small seed has high fat content and a lot of calories it could be the best choice."
它不一定是周围最大的种子，因为“如果一个小种子有高脂肪含量和大量的卡路里，它可能是最好的选择。”
This "multi-faceted decision-making is going on every time a titmouse visits a bird feeder."
每次山雀访问鸟类喂食器时，这种“多方面的决策都在进行。”
Birds may decide to eat later in the day when they spot predators near, thus keeping at flight-ready status in case escape maneuvers are needed.
当鸟类发现有捕食者靠近时，它们可能就会晚点再去找吃的，这样就可以处于随时可以飞走的状态。
To be called "bird-brained" is clearly a compliment.
被称为“鸟脑”显然是一种赞美。
Egrets strike at fish in the water to make a meal.
白鹭通过攻击水中的鱼来取食。
But thanks to refraction, the fish isn't actually located where it appears to be.
但由于折射作用，鱼实际上并没有位于它看起来所在的位置。
"Knowing where the real fish is requires a complex calculation of light and depth," Sibley notes.
西伯利指出:“要知道真正的鱼在哪里，需要对光线和深度进行复杂的计算。
Experiments reveal that when egrets adopt a certain angle as they forage, they never miss striking their prey.
实验表明，当白鹭在觅食时会采用一定的角度，它们从不放过猎物。
Emotion may be harder to measure in the field, but Sibley believes that bird mates feel genuine attraction for each other.
感情可能很难在野外进行测量，但西伯利相信，鸟类配偶之间会真正感受到彼此的吸引力。
It was sobering to learn that behind the "birds mate for life" meme is a sad statistic: Most often they're together for a single breeding season. Despite famous and heart-warming exceptions, most birds live less than one year.
我们清醒地认识到，在“鸟类终生伴侣”的背后是一个可悲的统计数字:它们通常只在一个繁殖季节呆在一起。尽管有一些著名的、温暖人心的例外，大多数鸟类一起生活的时间都不到一年。
问题
文中提到了哪一种水鸟？
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