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夏威夷濒危鸟类获得二次机会

Of the world's nearly 9,900 bird species, 13 percent - one in eight - are threatened with extinction¹, according to BirdLife International. Among them are two Hawaiian honeycreepers - tiny birds that live in the forest canopy², and, as the name implies, survive on nectar from tropical flowers.

国际鸟类联盟（BirdLife International）说，全世界近9900鸟类物种中的13%正遭受灭绝的威胁，也就是每八种中就有一种濒临灭绝。两种夏威夷蜜旋木雀（honeycreeper）也在其中，这些极小的鸟儿们住在森林树冠处，依靠热带花卉的花蜜存活，就像它们名字的意喻。

Scientists at the San Diego Zoo report they have managed to hatch half a dozen of their chicks in captivity³, raising hopes that the birds will flutter back from the brink⁴ of extinction.

加州圣迭戈动物园(San Diego Zoo)的科学专家们报告说，他们成功孵化了六只小鸟，这让人们对于将这类鸟儿从灭绝的边缘拯救回来燃起了希望。

Akikiki and Akeke'e, two species of honeycreepers, make their nests high in the trees of dense⁵ rainforests on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i, camouflaging⁶ them as clumps⁷ of moss⁸.

考岛悬木雀(Akikiki)和考岛管舌雀(Akekee)是两种蜜旋木雀，他们在夏威夷考艾岛(Kauai)密集雨林的树木高处筑巢，伪装成一丛丛的苔藓。

Avian malaria⁹, loss of native habitat, hurricanes and non-native predators¹⁰ have devastated¹¹ their population.

禽类疟疾、原生栖息地的丧失、飓风以及外来捕食者使得这些鸟儿种群遭到重创。

Losing them would mean losing a special part of Hawaii, said Bryce Masuda, Program Manager of the Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program.

夏威夷濒危鸟类保护计划(The Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program)的项目主管布莱斯?马苏达(Bryce Masuda)说，失去这些鸟意味着失去夏威夷的一大特色。

“Akikiki and Akeke'e are found only on the Island of Kaua’i and could become extinct in a few years without an intensive conservation intervention,” said Masuda.

他说：“考岛悬木雀和考岛管舌雀只生活在考艾岛上，如果不展开强化的保护干预措施，几年内就会绝种。”

Members of the Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project found several eggs from both species after a long search. They were carefully collected, and transported by helicopter to a conservation facility, where they were placed in an incubator.

考艾岛森林鸟类复原项目(The Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project)的成员们在经过了漫长的搜索后，发现了这两种鸟的几枚鸟蛋。他们小心翼翼地采集鸟蛋，用直升机运送到一处保护设施，放进了孵卵器中。

So far, six chicks have hatched and are doing well. Masuda said this is the best way for recovering the population of endangered birds.

目前为止，一共孵化了六只小鸟，状况良好。马苏达说，这是恢复濒危鸟类种群最好的方式。

“By bringing Akikiki and Akeke'e into captivity for breeding purposes, we would be able to prevent these two species from going extinct and we would be able to support their long-term recovery by eventually releasing captive-reared individuals back into the wild again,” he said.

他说：“为了育种，把考岛悬木雀和考岛管舌雀圈养起来，我们应该可以防止这两个物种灭绝。通过最终放飞这些圈养的小鸟，让它们回到野生环境，我们应该能够支持它们的长期复原。”

Scientists plan to continue with the program throughout the breeding season. The same method was successfully used by the Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program for increasing populations of other endangered birds on the islands.

科学专家计划在整个繁殖季节自持续展开项目。夏威夷濒危鸟类保护计划项目使用同样的方法，成功地增长了岛上其他濒危鸟类的数量。