纪录片《为何讲话》 第28期：鸟类学习鸣叫（在线收听）

Of course, this cannot be done in humans

当然 这个实验不能在人身上进行

but why shouldn't we do it with birds?

但为何不在鸟身上试试呢

Zebra finches are perfect subjects.

珍珠鸟是完美的实验对象

While the females don't sing at all,

虽然雌鸟完全不会鸣叫

the male chicks learn to sing by imitating their fathers,

雄性幼鸟却通过模仿其父来学习鸣叫

just like human children copy their parents.

就像人类幼儿模仿他们的父母一样

To recreate the conditions of the forbidden experiment,

为了再现禁忌实验的情景

Ofer and his team isolated male chicks away from their fathers

奥弗和他的团队在雄性幼鸟学会鸣叫前

before they were taught to sing.

将其与其父隔离开来

Kept in isolation in specially sound-proofed cages,

被关在特制的隔音笼子里

their song developed to no more than a croak.

它们的叫声嘶哑难听

One of these isolated males was added to a group of females

接着他将一只隔离后的雄鸟放入雌鸟群中

to create a new finch colony.

以期造一个新的珍珠鸟群