The surprising secrets of hummingbird flight - Kristiina J. Hurme and Alejandro Rico-Guevara

翻译人员: Annie Hu 校对人员: Helen Chang

And the clock starts...

开始计时...

now.

现在就开始。

Did you miss it?

你错过了吗？

It wasn’t some bug buzzing by or a weird trick of the light.

这不是什么嗡嗡的虫子 或什么光的诡计。

You just saw a hummingbird perform astonishing aerial acrobatics,

你刚才看到的是一只蜂鸟 正在表演牠惊人的空中杂技，

eat lunch in midair, pollinate a flower, and then escape a threat upside down—

在空中吃饭，给花授粉， 让后倒挂地逃避威胁--

all in a matter of seconds.

在几秒中之内。

So let’s slow down the action, and unpack each step in this blazing-fast feast.

让我们把牠的行动慢下来 看一下牠快速动作的每一步。

First up, their incredibly rapid flight.

首先，牠们快速地飞行。

Hummingbirds typically beat their wings 30 to 40 times per second,

蜂鸟一般在一秒钟的时间里 拍打牠们的翅膀30-40次，

creating the high-frequency hum they’re named for.

产生一种高频嗡嗡声， 这就是牠们名字的来源。

To flap their wings at this speed,

为要这种速度的拍打翅膀，

hummingbirds have evolved giant pectoral muscles

蜂鸟的胸肌进化地十分强壮，

that comprise over a third of some species’ bodyweight.

有些种类的胸肌重量 占身体总重量的 33% 以上。

But the real secret to their fine-tuned flight is all in the wrist.

使牠们精确飞行的真正秘密 在于牠们的手腕。

Most birds only generate lift on the downstroke of each flap,

大部分的鸟只能在 翅膀往下压时产生升力，

while using the upward recovery stroke to set up their next wing beat.

然后用牠们翅膀往上翘时 准备下一次的翼拍。

Hummingbirds however, turn their wrists during the upstroke,

但是蜂鸟在上行时会转动牠们的腕，

changing their wing’s angle to flap in a figure 8 pattern

把牠们翅膀的角度改一下， 然后划8字飞行。

that continually generates lift throughout their wingbeats.

使牠们拍动翅膀的时候， 身体一直会向上升。

Alongside their massive muscles, this special lift-producing technique

加上牠们的超大胸肌， 这种特殊的举升技术

allows hummingbirds to achieve sustained hovering flight—

帮助蜂鸟在空中停留，

an aerial feat no other bird can perform.

一种其他的鸟没法完成的空中表演。

Hovering lets hummingbirds slow to a stop almost instantly

在空中停留可以帮助蜂迅速停止，

and assess scenarios in midair.

在空中观察周围的情况。

Then, they can take off in any direction,

然后朝着任何方向去飞行，

reaching speeds faster than a fighter jet, relative to the bird’s size.

达到比战斗机还快的速度， 相对于鸟的大小。

And since they can beat each of their wings at different speeds and angles,

因为牠们可以在不同的速度和角度 拍打牠们的翅膀，

the birds can perform incredible spins and turns

这些鸟可以在向后和倒挂飞的情况下

all while flying backwards or even upside down.

表演出难以置信的旋转和转弯。

Of course, flying this way can be exhausting.

当然，这样子飞行很幸苦。

Hovering is one of the most energy intensive forms of movement

空中停留是动物世界里

in the animal kingdom.

最累人的运动形式之一。

And relative to their body size,

还有，相对于牠们身体的大小，

hummingbirds have the highest metabolic rates of all vertebrates.

蜂鸟在脊椎动物里有最快的代谢速率。

This leads them to eat very frequently—

这导致牠们吃得非常频繁，

often consuming an average of four meals an hour while flying.

在飞行的时候一个小时就会吃四顿。

Fortunately, their hovering lets them eat at remarkable angles without perching,

幸运的是，牠们在空中可以 以异常角度在不栖息的情况下吃，

consuming food that would otherwise be impossible to reach.

吃到一般的情况下 根本够不到的食物。

Using their long slender bills,

是用牠们的细长的喙，

they reach deep inside flowers and pump out nectar

蜂鸟可以深入花朵内部， 并用牠们的细槽舌片

with their thin grooved tongues.

抽出花粉。

This sugary liquid is a hummingbird’s most important energy source,

这种甜蜜的液体是蜂鸟最宝贵的营养，

and a single bird consumes six times its weight in nectar every day

牠们一天会吃六倍于体重的花蜜，

over hundreds of small meals.

每天进食超过一百次。

Each of these sugary snacks also pollinates the flower being visited

牠们每一次吃花蜜的时候

with pollen left on the bird from previous meals.

会用以前粘在牠们的脚上的花粉 来给新花授粉。

That's just a rough idea of what hummingbirds can do in several seconds.

这只是大概括蜂鸟几秒钟 就能够完成的实情。

But if we hang around a little longer,

但是要是我们继续观察，

we might see their aerial acrobatics put to a more dangerous test.

我们能看到考验牠们的 危险空中飞行技能。

Hummingbirds keep track of which flowers they've recently drained,

蜂鸟会追踪牠们最近采撷过的花，

as well as those they plan to drain next.

还有牠们准备要采撷的花。

And each bird will fight ruthlessly to defend this floral territory

每一只鸟会为了自己的领地 和牠们的对手：其他的蜂鸟

from their only real competition: other hummingbirds.

无情地斗争。

Using their spear-like bills and blindingly fast flight,

使用牠们像剑一样锋利的喙， 还有令人眼花缭乱的快速飞行，

dueling hummingbirds chase each other through the air,

正在搏斗的蜂鸟会在空中追打，

aggressively stabbing and plucking feathers.

使劲的相互啄和拔对方的羽毛。

The bills of some species are specialized for fighting,

有些物种的喙是专门用来争斗的，

with spiny tips, hooks, or even saw-like serrations.

牠们带有刺尖，钩子，还有锯齿状。

Some hummingbirds employ these aerial fencing techniques

有些蜂鸟会用空中击剑技术

to chase off larger birds like hawks and owls.

来赶走一些像鹰和猫头鹰的大鸟。

But the most extreme fights are between male hummingbirds

但最极端的打架发生在公鸟之间，

competing for flowers and females.

当牠们在为母鸟和食物竞争。

Fortunately, these duels are rarely deadly.

幸运的是，这些斗争很少致命。

After 15 to 20 seconds, one bird will typically surrender—

一般过了15到20秒以后 一只鸟会投降，

flying off to seek its breakfast elsewhere.

飞到别处去找吃的。

After all this fighting, feeding, and flying,

等这些争斗、进食和飞行结束以后，

hummingbirds sometimes need to sleep off the day’s events

蜂鸟有时需要用一种 温和的冬眠形式来结束一天的活动，

in a mild form of hibernation called torpor.

称为麻木。

Their hearts— proportionally the largest in the animal kingdom—

牠们的心脏，按比例是动物界最大的，

slow from 1,200 beats per minute to a mere 50.

会从1,200/分钟降到50/分钟。

But when they wake up 4 to 7 hours later,

但等牠们4-7个小时醒来之后，

their lightning-fast metabolism kicks back into gear.

牠们闪电般的新陈代谢重新启动。

With all this speed and strength,

像这么有力气和速度的鸟，

it’s no wonder the Aztecs revered these energetic birds

难怪阿兹特克人尊敬牠们，

as agents of the god of war Huitzilopotchli—

把牠们当成所崇拜上帝 Huitzilopotchli 的代言人。

a reminder that immense power can come in the smallest packages.

让人们记得，最小的生物 可以有巨大的力量。