Weird Bird Beaks

Weird Bird Beaks written by Joe Slade

《奇怪的鸟喙》 乔·斯莱德 著

Bearded Barbit I am a bearded barbit, as you can see from the hair -like feathers that look like a beard on my beak. My large, thick beak also has pointed parts on the bottom, like sharp teeth. I live where it is dry in Africa, and I am a member of the woodpecker family. Like the woodpecker, I often use my tail feathers to help me hold on to trees. I use my beak to make a hole in a dead tree or stump to build my nest. I feed on fruit and sometimes on insects. I live with a partner and three or four other birds that help incubate our eggs and care for the chicks after they hatch.

我是须䴕，你看我喙边长着像胡子一样的绒羽，一眼就能认出来。 我又粗又大的喙下缘长着尖状凸起，就像锋利的牙齿。 我生活在非洲的干旱地区，属于啄木鸟家族。 和其他啄木鸟一样，我常常用尾羽帮自己抓牢树干。 我会用喙在枯树或者树桩上凿洞，搭建我的鸟巢。 我以水果为食，偶尔也吃昆虫。 我和伴侣一起生活，还有三四只帮手帮我们孵蛋，照顾刚破壳的雏鸟。

Crossbill. I am a type of finch called a crossbill because my beak is crossed like an X, which helps me pull the seeds out of pinecones. I hold a cone with one foot and then pry open the scales of the cone to get the pine nuts. Pinecones grow on trees called conifers, but conifers don't produce good pinecones every year, so I travel all over to find pinecones instead of living in one place. If I can't find any pine nuts to eat, I will settle for other seeds and even insects to survive. Like the canary, which I'm related to, I sing beautiful and elaborate melodies.

交嘴雀。 我是一种雀类，叫交嘴雀，因为我的喙交叉成X形，这能帮我把松子从松果里掏出来。 我用一只脚抓住松果，再撬开松果的鳞片取出松子。 松果长在针叶树上，但针叶树不是每年都结出饱满的松果，所以我不会定居在一处，会四处寻找松果。 要是找不到松子吃，我也会吃其他种子甚至昆虫活下去。 我和金丝雀是近亲，和它一样，能唱出婉转优美的歌声。

Rhinoceros hornbill I am called a rhinoceros hornbill because of the horn on top of my beak, which I use to knock down fruit. I also use my horn to fight, and sometimes to attract a mate. When my mate is incubating eggs in a tree -hole nest, I seal her in with mud. I leave a small opening in the mud for my beak to fit through so that I can bring her food.

犀鸟 我之所以叫犀鸟，是因为我的喙顶长着角状突起，我能用它打落果实。 我的角突还能用来打架，有时候还能用来吸引配偶。 当我的配偶在树洞巢里孵蛋时，我会用泥把洞口封起来，把它封在里面。 我会在泥上留一个刚好容下我的喙的小洞，这样我就能给它送食物了。

Huyas. We Huyas lived in New Zealand until we became extinct. I am the male. My beak is thick and strong. I am the female. My beak is thin and curved. Our beaks were so different that for a long time, people thought we weren't related to each other at all. We looked alike otherwise, though, with orange fleshy wattles and shiny black feathers, except for the white tips of our tails. We ate insects and insect larvae, spiders, and sometimes berries.

兼嘴垂耳鸦。 我们兼嘴垂耳鸦原本生活在新西兰，后来灭绝了。 我是雄鸟。 我的喙又粗又结实。 我是雌鸟。 我的喙又细又弯。 我们的喙差别太大，很长一段时间里，人类都以为我们根本不是同一种鸟。 不过除了喙我们长得差不多：都长着橙色的肉质垂肉、油亮的黑羽毛，只有尾巴尖是白色的。 我们吃昆虫、昆虫幼虫、蜘蛛，偶尔也吃浆果。

Sword -billed hummingbird I am a sword -billed hummingbird, a very small bird with a very long beak. In fact, I'm the only bird with a bill longer than my body. My beak is heavy, so when I land, I tilt my head up to reduce the strain on my neck. I use my long beak and even longer tongue to get nectar from tube -shaped flowers. I can stick my tongue out and pull it back in again about 13 times per second. I live in the Andes Mountains of South America, where I build my nest of moss and leaves held together with cobwebs.

刀嘴蜂鸟 我是刀嘴蜂鸟，我个子小小的，喙却特别长。 实际上，我是唯一一种喙比身体还长的鸟。 我的喙很重，所以停下的时候我会仰起头，减轻脖子的负担。 我用长长的喙，还有更长的舌头，从筒状花里吸取花蜜。 我每秒大约能把舌头伸缩13次。 我生活在南美洲的安第斯山脉，用蜘蛛网把苔藓和树叶粘在一起搭鸟巢。