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  • General

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  • 鸟类繁殖

    Two green birds sitting on a wire, possibly discussing. Their plumage is vibrant.

    Is this pair of birds actually a “couple”?
    ::这对鸟儿真的是“双胞胎”吗?

    Yes. do actually pair up each mating season, if not for life. And the male better be prepared to treat his female properly. There is actually an elaborate process in which the female chooses her mate.
    ::是的,如果不是终身的,实际上每个交配季节都要配对。如果不是终身的,那么男性最好准备好好好对待自己的女性。事实上,有一个复杂的过程,女性可以选择自己的伴侣。

    Bird Reproduction
    ::鸟类繁殖

    in birds may be quite complicated and lengthy. Birds reproduce sexually and have separate sexes and internal fertilization , so males and females must mate for to occur. Mating is generally preceded by . In most , parents also take care of their eggs and hatchlings .
    ::在鸟类中,鸟类的生殖过程可能非常复杂和漫长。鸟类在性方面繁殖,有不同的性别,有不同的内部受孕,因此男女必须交配才能发生。通常在交配之前先有...。在多数情况下,父母还照顾他们的蛋和幼崽。

    Courtship and Mating
    ::求偶和配配配

    Courtship is behavior that is intended to attract a mate. It may involve singing specific courtship songs or putting on some type of visual display. For example, a bird may spread out and display its tail feathers or do a ritualized mating “dance.” Typically, males perform the courtship behavior, and females choose a mate from among competing males.
    ::求爱是意在吸引伴侣的行为。 它可能涉及唱特定求爱歌曲或进行某种视觉展示。 比如,鸟可以张开和展示尾羽或举行仪式性的交配“舞 ” 。 通常,男性表现求爱行为,而女性则从竞争男性中选择伴侣。

    During mating, a male bird presses his cloaca against his mate’s cloaca and passes from his cloaca to hers. After fertilization, eggs pass out of the female’s body, exiting through the opening in the cloaca.
    ::在交配期间,一只雄鸟用木马压住他的伴侣的木马,从他的木马传给她。 在施肥后,雌鸟的卵从母鸟身上跳出来,从木马的开口走出来。

    Nesting and Incubation
    ::巢穴和孵孵化

    Eggs are usually laid in a nest. The nest may be little more than a small depression in the ground, or it may be very elaborate, like the weaver bird nest in Figure . Eggs that are laid on the ground may be camouflaged to look like their surroundings (also shown in Figure ). Otherwise, eggs are usually white or pastel colors such as pale blue or pink.
    ::鸡蛋通常放置在巢中。 鸟巢可能只是地面上小小的萧条, 也可能非常复杂, 如图中的编织鸟巢。 埋在地下的鸡蛋可能会被伪装成像周围一样(图中也显示了这一点 ) 。 否则, 鸡蛋通常是白色或糊涂色, 如浅蓝色或粉色。

    Weaver bird nest on the left; camouflaged gull eggs on the right.

    Variation in Bird Nests. A weaver bird uses grasses to weave an elaborate nest (left). The eggs of a ground-nesting gull are camouflaged to blend in with the nesting materials (right).
    ::鸟类巢的变异。 一只编织鸟用草编织一个精密的巢穴( 向左 ) 。 挖地海鸥的卵被伪装成与筑巢材料混合( 右边 ) 。

    After birds lay their eggs, they generally keep the eggs warm with their body heat while the embryos inside continue to develop. This is called incubation , or brooding . In most species, parents stay together for at least the length of the breeding season. In some species, they stay together for life. By staying together, the males as well as females can incubate the eggs and later care for the hatchlings . Birds are the only nonhuman vertebrates with this level of male parental involvement.
    ::在鸟类产卵后,它们通常会通过体温来保持卵子的温暖,而胚胎在体内继续发育。这被称为孵化或育育。在大多数物种中,父母在一起的时间至少是育种季节的长度。在有些物种中,父母在一起的时间是终生的。通过在一起,雄性和雌性可以孵化卵,以后可以照顾幼崽。鸟类是唯一有男性父母参与的非人类脊椎动物。

    Hatchlings
    ::批处理

    Anhinga nest with hatchlings, showcasing ground-nesting bird reproductive behavior.

    Nest of an Anhinga anhinga with baby birds.
    ::一只有幼鸟的Anhingga Anhingga anhingga的巢穴。

    Ground-nesting birds, such as ducks and chickens, have hatchlings that are able to run around and feed themselves almost as soon as they break through the eggshell. Being on the ground makes them vulnerable to predators , so they need to be relatively mature when they hatch in order to escape. In contrast, birds that nest off the ground—in trees, bushes, or buildings—have hatchlings that are naked and helpless. The parents must protect and feed the immature offspring for weeks or even months. However, this gives the offspring more time to learn from the parents before they leave the nest and go out on their own.
    ::诸如鸭子和鸡等地栖息的鸟类,有能够跑来跑去的幼鸟,一旦它们打破卵壳,就能够迅速养活自己。在地面上,它们很容易受到食肉动物的伤害,因此它们孵化时需要相对成熟才能逃脱。相反,在地上筑巢的鸟类——树、灌木或建筑——有裸露和无助的幼鸟。父母必须保护幼崽并喂养他们数周甚至数月。然而,这让后代在离开巢穴和独自出走之前有更多的时间向父母学习。

    Parental Care
    ::父母照料

    In birds, 90% to 95% of species are monogamous , meaning the male and female remain together for breeding for a few years or until one mate dies. Birds of all types, from parrots to eagles and falcons, are monogamous. Usually, the parents take turns incubating the eggs. Birds usually incubate their eggs after the last one has been laid. In polygamous species, where there is more than one mate, one parent does all of the incubating. The wild turkey is an example of a polygamous bird.
    ::在鸟类中,90%至95%的物种是一夫一妻制的,这意味着雄性和雌性会在一起繁殖几年或直到一个伴侣死亡。从鹦鹉到鹰和猎鹰,所有种类的鸟类都是一夫一妻制的。通常,父母轮流孵卵。鸟类通常在上一个鸟类产卵后孵卵。在一夫多妻的物种中,父母一方负责所有孵卵。野生火鸡是一夫一妻制鸟类的一个例子。

    The length and type of varies widely amongst different species of birds. At one extreme, in a group of birds called the megapodes (which are chicken-like birds), parental care ends at hatching. In this case, the newly-hatched chick digs itself out of the nest mound without parental help and can take care of itself right away. These birds are called precocial . Other precocial birds include the domestic chicken and many species of ducks and geese. At the other extreme, many seabirds care for their young for extended periods of time. For example, the chicks of the Great Frigatebird receive intensive parental care for six months, or until they are ready to fly, and then take an additional 14 months of being fed by the parents ( Figure ). These birds are the opposite of precocial birds and are called altricial .
    ::鸟类的长度和种类各异,各不同种类的鸟类之间差别很大。在一种极端的鸟类中,在叫作巨型鸟群(类鸡鸟)的鸟类中,父母的照料以孵化为结束,在这种情况下,新戴帽子的小鸡在没有父母帮助的情况下从巢穴中挖出来,可以立即照顾自己。这些鸟类被称为前科鸟类。其他先入为主的鸟类包括家禽和许多种类的鸭子和鹅。在另一种极端的鸟类中,许多海鸟长期照顾幼鸟。例如,大飞禽的小鸟得到六个月的强化父母照料,或直到它们准备好飞翔为止,然后再多花14个月由父母喂养(图 ) 。这些鸟类与前科鸟类是对立的,被称作繁殖鸟。

    In most , male parental care is rare. But it is very common in birds. Often both parents share tasks such as defense of territory and nest site, incubation, and the feeding of chicks. Since birds often take great care of their young, some birds have evolved a behavior called brood parasitism . This happens when a bird leaves her eggs in another bird’s nest. The host bird often accepts and raises the parasite bird's eggs.
    ::在多数情况下,男性父母的照料很少。 但在鸟类中,这种照料非常常见。 父母通常都分担诸如保护领地和巢穴、孵化和喂养小鸡等任务。 由于鸟类往往非常照顾幼鸟,有些鸟类已经演变出一种叫作双肠寄生虫的行为。 当鸟类将卵留在另一鸟巢时,这种情况就会发生。 宿主鸟类往往接受并饲养寄生鸟的蛋。

    A Great Frigatebird chick begging for food from its parent on a nest.

    Great Frigatebird adults are known to care for their young for up to 20 months after hatching, the longest in a bird species. Here, a young bird is begging for food.
    ::众所周知,大飞禽的成年人在孵化后照顾自己的年轻人长达20个月,这是鸟类物种中时间最长的。 在这里,一只年轻的鸟类在乞讨食物。

       

     

    Summary
    ::摘要

    • Birds reproduce sexually and have internal fertilization.
      ::鸟类在性方面繁殖,并有体内受精。
    • Mating is generally preceded by courtship.
      ::在配对之前通常先求偶。
    • Birds' amniotic eggs have hard shells and are laid in a nest. The eggs are usually incubated until they hatch.
      ::鸟类的羊蛋有硬壳,放在巢中,卵通常孵化到孵化为止。
    • Most species have a relatively long period of parental care.
      ::大多数物种的父母照料时间相对较长。

    Review
    ::回顾

    1. What is courtship? Give an example.
      ::求偶是什么?举个例子。
    2. Contrast hatchling maturity in birds that are ground-nesting and those that nest off the ground.
      ::和那些在地上筑巢的鸟类的孵化成熟对比