BBC 自然世界
想象有种生物 华丽绝美 Imagine creatures so beautiful
美到人们传说它是来自天堂的神鸟 That people thought they had come down directly from heaven.
美到令初次见到它们的欧洲人 So striking that the first Europeans to see them
认为它们只可能是从伊甸园逃出来的 Thought they could only have escaped from the garden of Eden.
实际上 那个伊甸园就是新几内亚 In fact, that Eden was New Guinea,
欧洲人最后探索的有人居住岛屿之一 One of the last inhabited islands to be explored by Europeans.
事实上 这个岛是目前仅存的 And it remains virtually the only place
可以欣赏这些珍奇生物的地方 Where you can see these wonderful creatures.
它们是鸟 They were birds, but
但又不像我们以前所见的任何鸟类 unlike birds that anyone had ever seen before.
其华丽绝美 They brought the image of beauty
几乎让人难以置信 almost to the edge of absurdity.
而它们为求偶所做的表演 比起它们的外表 And their displays were even more extraordinary
更加超乎寻常 更加奇特 and bizarre than their appearance.
是动物王国中 已知的最为复杂的鸟类之一 Some of the most complex to be found in the animal kingdom.
它们也许不是真的来自伊甸园 They may not have come from the garden of Eden
但绝对可说名副其实 But they certainly deserved the name
配得上早期欧洲科学家赋予它们的名字 That the first European scientists gave them -
极乐鸟 [又名:天堂鸟] The birds of paradise.
然而人们对这些鸟的习性知道得并不多 Yet much of what they do is still unknown.
自150多年前 More than 150 years after the
开始对这些生物 进行科学观察以来 first scientific observations of these creatures,
尽管历尽无数探险 In spite of innumerable expeditions
和大量时间的科学观察 And countless hours of scientific observation,
仍然只能说是浮光掠影 We are still only catching glimpses,
对这种天堂神鸟 我们还知之甚少 tantalising glimpses, of these heavenly creatures.
新一代的科学家和拍摄组 A new generation of scientists, and film crews,
试图弥补这一遗憾 Are attempting to put that right.
但这些非凡的鸟 不会轻易揭开其神秘面纱 But these remarkable birds don't give up their secrets easily.
极乐鸟
又一支寻找极乐鸟的探险队出发了 Another expedition is setting off to look for birds of paradise.
这支探险队 This one is being mounted
是由新几内亚人自己组织的 by the New Guinea people themselves.
新一代的地区自然资源保护者 A New Generation of local conservationists
担心极乐鸟的数量可能正在减少 is concerned that paradise bird numbers may be falling.
这个小队由米里亚姆·舒普玛带领 This team is led by Miriam Supuma.
随行的还有鸟类专家保罗·艾格 With her is bird expert Paul Igag.
我裤子全湿了 Ah! I've got my knickers wet!
米里亚姆在一个小山村学校上学时 Miriam's love of nature began
就开始产生了对大自然的热爱 In a small village school in the mountains.
怀着这种激情 她学了英语 To follow that passion, she learned English,
上了大学 got herself to university,
完成了在澳大利亚的生态野外考察项目 And finished her ecology fieldwork in Australia.
在接下来的3个月里 Over the next three months,
她的目标是观察并记录 She aims to see and document
十种极乐鸟 ten birds of paradise species.
她同意让我们拍摄小组随她一起工作 She has agreed to let our camera crew go with her.
他们从最小的极乐家族开始 They are starting with the smallest of the family -
王极乐鸟 The king bird.
米里亚姆寻找各种迹象 Miriam searches for signs.
你必须清楚自己要找什么 她就知道 You have to know what to look for... and she does.
你可以看见这些果子上有啄食的痕迹 You can see peck marks on this fruit here.
这就是它的叫声 That's his call.
但是她看不见它们 But she just can't see him.
应该就在这附近 It tends to like this area.
因为这里有光线透过 One of the reasons is because of the light coming through.
它们是好炫耀的鸟 喜欢展示它们的羽毛 They're show-off birds so they like to show their plumage
而光线正好映照着它们美丽的羽毛 And the light complements their bright plumage.
迹象很明显 The signs are good.
他们决定搭建一个藏身处 They decide to build a hide.
要足够大才能容纳她和摄影小组 It must be big enough to seat her and the camera crew.
但是问题出现了 But there's a problem.
一棵枯死的香蕉树挡住了相机镜头 A dead banana tree blocks the camera's view.
米里亚姆小心翼翼地把它砍倒 Miriam has it gently pruned back.
她相信王极乐鸟还会回来的 She's confident the birds will return.
这是交配的季节 所以它们不会那么害羞 This is the mating season when they become less shy.
她还是个学生的时候就发现了这一点 She discovered this when she was still a student.
在森林里工作时的一个清晨 Working in the forest, early one morning,
她看见一只极乐鸟在树的顶端 She spotted a bird of paradise high in the tree tops.
下面还有另一只 And below it, another,
在晨光中梳理着羽毛 preening its plumes in the morning sun.
之后雄鸟开始炫耀求爱 And then they displayed.
这一幕改变了她的生活 The sight changed her life.
那一天我注意到有六七只极乐鸟 On that day, I noticed about six or seven birds of paradise,
唱歌 跳舞 Singing and dancing and
一直延续了5到10分钟 it just continued for five or ten minutes.
我停下手中的活 I stopped what I was doing,
我当时正在测量树木 I was measuring trees at the time.
我看着它们 惊叹地注视着那一幕 I was looking at it - just staring at it in awe.
自然学家们热爱大自然 Naturalists fall in love with nature
大自然也会回馈给他们更多 and then come back for more.
七年以后 经验告诉米里亚姆 Seven years on and experience has taught Miriam
观察雄性王极乐鸟的最好方式 That the best way to observe the male king bird
就要找到求偶的表演现场 然后等它出现 Is to find his display perch and then wait for him to arrive.
很锻炼人的耐心 是不是 Teaches you a lot of patience, doesn't it?
耐心经常会奏效 And patience can often pay off.
在那儿 看 Oh, there it is. Wow!
王极乐鸟 The king bird.
他朝那边走 我们看见的是后背 It's facing that way with its back towards us.
你看他的红色后背 You can see the red back.
他要去树冠了 It's gone up into the canopy.
他长着辣椒红的后背 雪白色的前胸 He's a deep chilli pepper red, with a snow white breast.
两根长长的大翎毛从尾巴处伸出 Two long quills sprout from his tail,
末端生长着绿色的像硬币似的小圆盘 Each tipped by a green disc like a coin.
这是很难见到的时刻 That was a rare moment.
看 又要表演了 Oh, there - there it is again. Wow.
她激动不已 She's thrilled.
听着森林中其他雄鸟的叫声 With other males calling in the forest nearby,
米里亚姆确信这附近有很多鸟 Miriam is sure that she's found a good population here.
雄性王极乐鸟会呼唤附近的雌鸟 The male king bird will call to the females in the area.
即使没有雌鸟来 他一样会表演 If none come, he will perform without them.
他先舒展开全身的羽毛 After puffing himself up,
将尾部的大翎毛挥舞到头部 he flicks his quills above his head,
来回晃动 And waggles them,
让这两个小圆盘在空中起舞 making the little discs dance in the air above him.
他还在期盼观众的到来 He's still hoping for an audience.
毫不灰心 最后全身起舞 Undeterred, he ends with a flourish.
把腿固定在树枝上 上下摇摆 He swings upside down and locks his legs
那时候他看起来就像个钟摆 And then he turns himself into a pendulum.
王极乐鸟喜欢独自表演 The king bird is a soloist.
而其他种类的雄鸟则成群表演 The males of many other species display in groups.
这些是大极乐鸟 These are the greater birds of paradise.
雄鸟每天都在一棵特定的树上集合 Males assemble every day in one special tree,
等着雌鸟的到来 Waiting for a female to arrive.
一旦雌鸟到来 他们都快速的拍打着翅膀 When one does, they all snap into action.
她挑一只自己最喜欢的 And she selects the one she prefers.
两只鸟就独自约会 She's rewarded with a one-on-one,
雄鸟开始在雌鸟头上啄来啄去 starting with pecks on the head.
最后她接受了他 And eventually she accepts him.
所有的雄鸟在我们看起来 While all the males may appear equally
都一样绚丽动人 gorgeous to our eyes,
但雌鸟却洞察出了不同 Females apparently detect differences.
而且 她们几乎只和同一只雄鸟交配 What's more, they nearly all mate with the same male.
用这种方式选择拥有最美丽羽毛的雄鸟 By selecting the finest plumes in this way,
经过雌鸟一代又一代的繁衍 The females have increased the males' beauty,
更增加了雄鸟的雄性之美 generation after generation,
也使这华丽的舞姿得以存在 And so brought these magnificent dances into existence.
这些鸟们惊人的美丽 The spectacular beauty of
让新几内亚的人们痴迷不已 their birds fascinates the people of New Guinea,
早在1957年时我就发觉了这点 As I discovered back in 1957.
我知道极乐鸟的羽毛很重要 I knew that the bird of paradise plumes were important,
并很快发现这到底有多重要 And I quickly discovered just how important.
羽毛相当于钱币 The plumes are the equivalent of money
最主要的支付方式就是在 And an essential payment in the bargaining that goes on
家庭之间确定婚约时用作交易 Between families when fixing a wedding settlement.
还有就是当男人想跳舞的时候会用到 And when men want to dance.
我50年前所亲历的 如今仍在继续 What I saw 50 years ago is still going on today.
戈罗卡城 位于大山中央 Goroka town, in the heart of the mountains.
此时正是节日盛典 It's festival time
羽毛仍然是头上最主要的装饰 and feathers are still essential headwear.
如果可以 带上照片 或者... Go with the photograph if you can or...
现在是米里亚姆研究的关键时刻 It's a key moment in the year for Miriam's research.
看看这些 再对比他们头上的羽毛 Look at these and then look at what's on the headdresses.
头饰中插着 The feathers of many different species of bird
不同种类的鸟的羽毛 Are used in the headdresses,
考察小组想找出 And the team want to find
有多少是出自极乐鸟的 out how many come from birds of paradise.
这一场景 和我自己 These scenes are not very different from
半世纪以前拍摄的 those I filmed myself
没有太大变化 Half a century earlier.
有500个男人 "there were 500 of these men,
单调的 不停地跺脚跳着 stamping up and down monotonously and unceasingly.
我观看他们的时候发现 and as I watched them I realised
这就是为什么 that here was the reason
没人愿意带我们寻找极乐鸟的原因 why no-one had brought us birds of paradise."
米里亚姆想看我1957年时拍的短片 Miriam wants to see my footage from 1957
以便对比舞者们过去和现在 So she can compare the numbers
所用的羽毛数量和种类的不同 and species used by dancers then and now.
每个人都带着30到40只鸟的羽毛 "each man was wearing the feathers of 30 or 40 birds.
仅在这支舞蹈中就这样 at this one dance,
我们看到的这些羽毛是屠杀 We saw the plumes of over 20,000
2万只极乐鸟取下的 slaughtered birds of paradise."
对鸟类美丽羽毛的强烈占有欲 The desire to possess the beauty of the birds
自古就有 is an ancient obsession,
现在仍然在一些部落里存在 Still alive in these tribal lands.
新几内亚岛很大 The island of New Guinea is huge.
1000英里长 位于澳大利亚和赤道之间 1,000 miles long, lying between Australia and the Equator,
早在地质时期 It was pushed up from the
从海底涌起形成 bottom of the sea way back in geological time.
少数的哺乳动物从澳大利亚迁徙至此 A few land mammals from Australia managed to get here,
包括有袋类动物如 Including some marsupials such as
奇特的树袋鼠 the strange tree kangaroo.
但这里没有土生土长的食肉哺乳动物 But there are no indigenous carnivorous mammals here.
一年四季果实丰富 With fruit growing all year round,
确实是鸟类的天堂 this is indeed a paradise for birds.
然而 大约3万年前 Then, some 30,000 years ago,
对它们生存威胁最大的人类走进来了 The greatest threat to their existence walked in on two legs.
但今天来到这里的人们 But today, there are people
唯一的目的则是保护这些鸟类 here whose only aim is to protect the birds.
保罗·艾格在海边长大 他是渔民的儿子 Paul Igag was brought up on the coast, a fisherman's son.
保罗放弃了捕鱼为生 转而学习生物学 Paul gave up the fishing life to study biology.
他和一个来自高原地带的女孩结婚 He married a highland girl
并留在这里 从事他所热爱的森林鸟类研究 And stayed up here to pursue his love of forest birds.
这只红羽极乐鸟在唱歌 The call of the raggiana bird of paradise.
他在试图吸引雌鸟过来 He's trying to attract females.
保罗在这片森林里见过很多最珍贵的鸟类 Paul has seen many of the forest's rarest bird species.
他在树冠上搭了平台 He builds platforms in the
这样他可以静静地坐在上面等待 canopy where he can sit quietly and wait.
有些鸟胆子很大 Some birds are quite bold
似乎对他的存在毫不畏惧 and seem undisturbed by his presence.
而另一些 比如这只 Others are much more wary, like the
华丽的裙风鸟 则很机警 magnificent rifle bird of paradise.
保罗在这里专注于鸟类观察 Paul has been watching the birds
已经15个年头了 intensively for over 15 years.
他追踪的技巧对这种研究工作非常关键 His tracking skills are crucial to the project.
保罗和米里亚姆一起工作 开始鉴别 Together, Paul and Miriam start to identify
需要被保护的鸟类种群 The bird populations that may need protection.
保罗带着米里亚姆搬到了戈罗卡的西南部 Paul is taking Miriam to a remote village southeast of Goroka.
就像我独自去中部的旅程一样 As I did on my own journey to the interior,
他们必须越过很高的山脉 They have to cross high mountain ranges
这些山脉被森林覆盖着 blanketed by forest.
在这些悬崖峭壁之间 Between these walls of rock lie
是像瓦吉那样巨大的山谷 immense valleys like the Wahgi.
数百个部落已经 Hundreds of tribes have
在这里生活了几千年 lived on the island for thousands of years,
被水源和悬崖峭壁阻隔 Separated by these barriers of water and rock.
演化出800多种语言 800 languages have evolved,
有些语言之间的差别 Some as different from one another
就像中文和英文的差别那么大 as english is to chinese.
亥雅村的语言只能在这个村里使用 The language of Haia village is spoken only here.
即使是今天 Even today,
这里人们和外部世界的唯一联系 the only contact between these people and the outside world
只是飞机把他们的咖啡豆运出去 Is the plane that takes away their coffee beans.
人们热烈欢迎保罗回来 It's a warm welcome back for Paul.
他这些年经常来到这里 He's been coming here for the last few years
帮助他们绘制部落的边界图 To help map tribal boundaries.
这片森林属于亥雅人 This forest belongs to the Haia people.
他们一直在这里打猎 They have always been hunters
现在却要帮着记录这里野生动物的生活 But now they are helping to record the rich wildlife.
将来 这里可能会成为保护区 One day, all this may become a protected reserve.
而现在 For now,
它还是几百平方英里的原始山林 it's hundreds of square miles of untouched mountain forest.
对这些村庄来说 野生动物保护 For the villagers, a wildlife reserve
可能给这里带来工作和受教育的机会 could bring work and education.
这里有很多濒危动物 There's a lot at stake.
本地人的狩猎知识 The locals' hunting knowledge
对这个项目的的进行 是无价之宝 is invaluable for the project.
保罗和米里亚姆得找到自然形成的小径 Paul and Miriam need to find natural paths
树木和水果 and trees and fruit
这样他们可以确认这些濒危物种的位置 If they are to locate all the threatened species.
这只镰嘴鸟 有着三英尺长的尾部羽毛 The three foot long tail feathers of the male black sicklebill
大概就是这类鸟在本地濒临灭绝的原因 Are the reason why his kind is almost extinct locally.
它的羽毛可以卖到很高的价钱 His plumes fetch the highest prices
而在这里 狩猎是不被禁止的 But hunting here has now been banned.
这次行程是为了找到两种特别的极乐鸟 This trip is to find two special birds of paradise
这两种鸟现在还没有被法律保护 That are still unprotected by law.
其中一种可能会在早上 One of them can sometimes be seen
很早的时间看到 in the very early mornings,
它们在森林中最暗的地上忙碌 Busy on the floor of the darkest parts of the forest.
米里亚姆正在寻找一种六羽风鸟 Miriam is looking for the parotia bird of paradise,
这种鸟可以跳很奇特的舞蹈 A bird with a very special dance.
雄风鸟最特别的 是它跳舞的位置 The male parotia is most particular about where he dances,
应该就是这里了 And this could be the place.
保罗在寻找一种丽色风鸟 Paul is looking for the magnificent bird of paradise,
这种鸟也是比较靠近地面活动 A bird which also displays close to the ground,
因此极易被狩猎者袭击 And is therefore very vulnerable to hunters.
看 那里就是它们跳舞的场地 "Well, that's it," I said. "That's the display court,
我们要让它到那里去 and we're going to get him there."
如果我们还想回来看到它们 We didn't want to spend a long time there -
我们就不能在那里待太久 We want to come back and see the birds,
因为我们的存在 或许会把一切搞砸了 So our presence there might, you know, spoil everything.
在峡谷的山里 Six inches of
一天的雨量就可能达到6英寸 rain can fall in a single day on crater mountain.
在倾盆大雨中 During the downpours,
这些鸟会躲在树叶下面 The birds of paradise shelter beneath the leaves.
我在藏身处坐着 'i was sitting in the hide
正想着 下着雨大概 'thinking we might not get to
没什么可看的 see anything because it did rain.'
这时听见一只雄风鸟的叫声 'and then I heard a male parotia.
然后又出现了其他雄鸟的声音 'there were other males calling as well.'
他长得像漆黑的夜晚那样黑 Black as the blackest night,
似乎要把周围所有的光都吸到身上 he seems to absorb all the light around him.
这是一只劳氏六羽风鸟 He is lawes's parotia.
在他的头上 有6根奇怪的线状羽毛 On his head, six strange wire-like plumes,
每根羽毛 都镶着三角旗 Each tipped with a black pennant.
在他的胸脯上 On his chest,
有一片闪闪发光的绿色和金色的保护罩 a shield of iridescent green and gold.
这是他的地盘 This is his court,
他把这个舞台清理干净 A stage he has carefully cleared
以便可以不受阻碍地舞蹈 so that he can dance unimpeded.
把前一晚的落叶清理走 Cleaning away last night's leaf fall
是必要的家务劳动 is essential housekeeping.
一只雌鸟来了 A female arrives.
她相对颜色浅些 是浅褐色 She is comparatively drab
也没有那么闪亮诱人 with none of his flashy glamour.
她正在附近转悠 挑选伴侣 She's touring all the courts in the neighbourhood to choose a mate.
他开始吸引她的注意 He sets about impressing her.
然而有位竞争者不请自来 But one of his rivals has called by uninvited.
其它雄鸟紧跟其后 He is followed by others.
更多的雌鸟来了 占据位置看表演 More females arrive and take up seats for the performance.
气氛紧张起来 但没有谁跳舞 Tensions rise but nobody dances.
突然 有位闯入者跟雌鸟交配起来 Suddenly, one of the intruders mates with a female.
接着另一对也开始了 Another male does the same.
于是整个场地对大家开放了 The court has become a free for all.
这可不是米里亚姆希望看到的状况 It's not what Miriam expected.
他们没有跳舞的过程 They just went straight into mating
而直接开始交配 without even any dance at all.
就像吃晚餐 却直接上了甜点 It's almost like get dinner while geting straight with the dessert.
如果能看到他们跳舞是件很美妙的事 It would be nice to see them actually dancing.
坐在满是蚊子的藏身处3-4小时 Sitting in the hide for 3 or 4 hours
可不是一件有趣的事 isn't fun with all the mosquitoes,
你会觉得只有 And you'd like to go away
看见了整个表演 才会想离开 feeling you'd seen the whole performance.
也许这些鸟是被森林里其他的 Maybe the birds had been disturbed
人类活动所干扰了 By human activity elsewhere in the forest.
米里亚姆会在几天以后再去尝试 Miriam will allow a few days to pass before she tries again.
保罗还在寻找那种丽色风鸟 Paul is looking for the magnificent bird of paradise.
他已经在这地方搜寻几天了 He's been searching here for a few days,
听它们的叫声 静静地观看它们 Listening to their calls and quietly watching.
他看到了其他的鸟 因此他想 He's seen another bird which makes him think
这种丽色风鸟可能会在这片丛林中出现 That the magnificent may display in this thicket.
一只野雉鸠 在地上觅食 A pheasant pigeon, feeding on the forest floor.
来了一只雌性丽色风鸟 That's a female magnificent.
其他的也来了 And another arrives.
它们来这里只为一个相同的原因 They can only be here for one reason.
眼前金光闪烁 是丽色风鸟姗姗来迟 A flicker of gold and there he is - the magnificent bird of paradise.
这只雄鸟把种子丢在他的地盘上 The male magnificent has dropped seeds onto his court.
野鸽和白鸽过来抢种子吃 Pigeons and doves come to try to grab them.
他除去苔藓和树叶 He's stripping away moss and leaves,
让阳光照射到他的表演场地 Letting shafts of sunlight into his display court.
他想展现自己的最佳状态 He wants to look his best.
而这个舞台似乎有什么干扰 The stage seems set but there's a distraction -
原来是另一只雄鸟 Another male.
两只雄鸟之间出现了对峙 There's a stand-off between the males,
那些雌鸟采取行动了 Then the females take action.
让人惊讶的是 它们警告这只入侵者 Surprisingly, they charge this intruder
成功地把他赶走了 And they succeed in driving him out.
最后 这个场地成了这只雄鸟自己的舞台 Finally, the court maker has his stage to himself.
现在他可以全心全意地吸引 And now he's giving the most interested
自己最心仪的雌鸟了 female all his attention.
他开始了表演 He begins his performance.
他轻轻的跳跃 鼓起他胸前的羽毛 He gently pulses, puffing out his breast feathers.
为了吸引她 他造出了 He creates an emerald green,
一个鲜绿色心型的胸罩 heart-shaped breast shield to impress her.
他闪着眼睛旁边荧光色的斑点 He flashes tiny iridescent spots
去迷惑她 next to his eyes to dazzle her.
但是这样有效吗 But is it working?
我们在想 交配什么时候会发生 We were thinking, "When is mating taking place?"
这个活动可能持续一段时间 It's an activity that probably goes on for a while
直到它们认为是时候了 Until only the birds know when it is the right time.
这是保罗在森林工作15年后 It's Paul's first sighting
在森林工作15年后 第一次看到丽色风鸟 of a magnificent bird of paradise and that's after 15 years working in the forest.
几天以后 Several days later,
米里亚姆回到风鸟的场地 Miriam returns to the court of the parotia.
场地的修建者还在家里 The court maker is at home.
他清除了一些垃圾 He removes little bits of litter
为鸟类世界中 And prepares to perform
最复杂的舞蹈表演做着准备 one of the most complex dance routines in the whole bird world.
但现在有了点麻烦 But now there's trouble
入侵者来了 是另一只雄鸟 an intruder, another male.
但是这次场地的主人并没有推迟表演 But the owner of the court is not put off.
这 才是我们期望看到的样子 And that is how it's supposed to be.
看到风鸟的舞蹈 Seeing the parotia dance
让米里亚姆更加理解了 Gives Miriam an insight into the
她的族人特有的那些仪式 intimate rituals of her people.
我坐在藏身处 When I was sitting in the hide,
想到了巴布亚新几内亚的人们 I was thinking back to the people of papua new guinea,
他们进入木屋聚在一起 They have these gatherings where they go into a hut
男女相间的坐成一排 And they sit in a row and alternate male-female, male-female.
他们唱着歌 脑袋前后摇动 They sing and rock their heads back and forth.
好像在挑选他们喜爱的人 It's like picking out someone they fancy.
我能明白原因 I can understand why,
当他们跳传统的舞蹈时 when they do their traditional dance,
他们带上羽毛 They put feathers on.
也许对他们来说 这代表了某种 Probably to them, it represents something
他们在森林里发现的 that's kind of sacred
神圣的意义 That they find in the forest,
这种鸟很特别的习性 And because of the birds' behaviour,
使得它成为一种非常独特的鸟类 it's a very unique and special bird.
巴布亚人沉迷于他们部落神秘的过去 Papuans are steeped in the mysteries of their tribal past.
没有人能完全明白个中原因 Nobody knows it all,
仅仅是因为鸟和人类 Only that birds and humans
在一起生活了数千年 have been together for thousands of years.
对鸟类美丽羽毛的强烈占有欲 The desire to possess the beauty of the birds
自古就有 is an ancient obsession.
到处都有极乐鸟被捕杀 Everywhere, the paradise birds are hunted
将它们的羽毛当做宝贝 and their plumes treasured
存放在房子的椽条上 And stored on the rafters in houses throughout the land.
这些珍贵的羽毛被储藏在竹筒里 These precious feathers are kept in bamboo tubes,
是为下一代装饰身体所准备的 Ready to adorn the bodies of a new generation,
帮他们开启人生的华彩乐章 To help them begin a new cycle of human life.
米里亚姆和她的团队在数羽毛 Miriam and her team are counting feathers.
她想要知道 She wants clues as to
哪一种鸟类被猎杀的总量最多 which birds are suffering most from hunting.
他们询问这些舞者 They question the dancers
在何处并以何种手段获取到这些羽毛 about where and how they got their feathers.
她特别渴望了解那种很特别的品种 She's keen to know about one species in particular.
我手里拿的羽毛来自极乐蓝鸟 What I have here is the blue bird of paradise.
我看过一些高原人 I've seen it worn by
穿戴着这样的头饰 some of the highlanders on the headdress.
这种鸟较易捕猎 It's a very vulnerable bird
羽毛又能卖出很高的价钱 and its feathers fetch high prices.
过去曾被大量捕杀 It's been hunted heavily in the past.
我从未在野外见过它们的求偶表演 I haven't seen it display in the wild
如果我看见了 那会是很特别的 And if I did, that would be something.
与此同时 人们的信仰很难改变 In the meantime, beliefs die hard,
而有些信仰 实际上 But among them, there are some
又是在保护着鸟群 that can actually protect the birds.
人们担心激怒神灵的世界 There's a fear of angering the spirit world.
有神灵的地方 打猎者是不会踏足的 And where spirits live, hunters will not go.
试想一座被森林覆盖的大山 Imagine a mountain that is covered in forest.
从没有人登上山 No-one goes up there.
人们相信那里有神灵存在 People believe there is a spirit up there.
大家都不去接近那座山 People don't touch that mountain,
于是 这片森林就得到了完好地保护 so that forest remains intact.
我们从自然保护的层面上来看 For us, working in conservation,
这样很有效 it works perfectly
因为它让这地方免遭践踏 Because it leaves that place unspoiled.
一大清早 保罗和米里亚姆 Early one morning, Paul and Miriam
开始踏进这片猎人们 Begin climbing up to part
不敢涉足的森林 of the forest where hunters fear to tread
他们去寻找两种特别的极乐鸟 To look for two special birds of paradise.
不同种类的鸟群 生活的海拔高度不同 Different species live at different altitudes,
取决于降雨量 Depending on the rainfall
以及该海拔生长的果树种类 And the type of fruit trees growing at different levels.
即使到了今天 Even today,
人们对这些鸟类仍然知之不多 not a great deal is known about these birds -
比如它们在哪筑巢 Where they nest,
又如何哺育幼鸟 How they raise their young,
在各自生活区重叠的地方 混种繁殖的情况 Where the species overlap, even interbreed.
生物学家依然在努力寻找答案 Biologists are still trying to find the answers.
像这样的野外工作本身就是一种乐趣 Field work like this brings its own delights.
我的裤子全都湿了 Ah! I got my knickers wet!
这样的工作本身就是挑战 It's a challenge in itself to working -
作为一名在偏远地区工作的研究者 Being a researcher and working in a remote area.
有时你得花上几个月的时间 Sometimes you get to spend months and months
在野外工作 out in the field,
你会想念在家时的安逸 And you miss your comforts in life.
作为回报 你能在大清早 The trade-off is that you get to listen to birds
听到鸟儿唱歌 Singing in the morning.
每天都伴着鸟鸣醒来 You wake up to that every day.
米里亚姆在寻找极乐蓝鸟 Miriam is looking for the blue bird of paradise.
在寂静的森林里 In undisturbed forest,
她希望找到一些 She hopes to find populations of birds
不那么畏惧人类的鸟群 That will be less wary of humans.
保罗在寻找的是华美风鸟 Paul is looking for the superb bird of paradise,
它们胸前的羽毛非常受欢迎 Whose breast feathers are so sought-after.
它在浓密的树冠中央鸣叫着 It calls in the dense mid-canopy,
但它会在地面或接近地面的 But it displays on or near the ground
开阔地带做求偶的表演 and in open spaces.
这有颗倒塌的大树 A large fallen tree
有迹象表明很有可能它们来过这里 and there's a hopeful sign here.
一侧的苔藓已经没有了 On one side, some of the moss is missing.
可能是那些跳舞的小脚把它们抹去了 Small dancing feet could have rubbed it away.
这也许是一个观察华美风鸟的绝佳地方 This could be a good place to watch for the superb.
可惜天公不作美 But the weather is not good.
在风雨中 鸟类和人类一样 需要避雨 In wind and rain, birds, like people, take shelter.
除了等待 There is nothing to be
天气好转 没有其他事可以做 done except wait for a break in the weather.
这个周期的鸟类繁殖季节快结束了 It's now getting late in the birds' breeding cycle.
它们求偶表演不那么频繁和有激情了 Their displays are becoming less frequent and intense.
六天前小组在倒塌的树旁建好藏身之处 It's been six days since the team built the hide beside the fallen tree.
每天早上保罗冒着雨5点到达 Paul arrives in the rain at five each morning,
中午冒雨离开 And leaves in the rain at noon.
可这颗倒塌的大树还是原来那个样子 And the fallen tree is just remaining a fallen tree.
潮湿的灌木丛里 In a damp thicket,
米里亚姆继续守候着极乐蓝鸟 Miriam is keeping vigil for the blue bird.
第七天 Day seven
终于有拜访者来到了保罗的大树上 And finally a visitor to Paul's log,
但只是一只地面鸠 But it's only a ground dove.
那是华美风鸟的叫声 That's the call of the superb.
他是在高树上发出呼唤的信息 He's making an advertising call from a high point.
而且离保罗的藏身之处并不远 And it's not far from Paul's hide.
那是蝙蝠 That's vampire.
经过几天大雨之后 After many days of solid rain,
鸟群很快恢复了积极的活动 The birds are quickly becoming active again.
米里亚姆的目标 一只极乐蓝鸟 Miriam's bird, a blue bird,
已经来到灌木丛的边缘并发出叫声 Has come to the edge of the thicket and is calling.
不知道是同一只鸟 还是不同的两只 I'm wondering if it's the same bird or two different birds.
保罗的鸟一直叫个不停 Paul's bird is calling non-stop.
他终于来了 And there he is.
他有着美丽的蓝绿胸部羽毛 There's that fabulous green and blue breast shield.
他在尝试引诱一只雌鸟从树冠上下来 He's trying to entice a female down from the canopy.
但这只不是雌鸟 But that's not her.
鸟的鸣叫声似乎让他恼怒 The call seems to irritate him.
她终于出现 And there she is.
他变换自己的造型 He transforms himself.
一件黑色的披风从他的头后出现了 A black cape appears behind his head.
随后他进入到一个忘我的状态 Then he moves into a trancelike state
他跳起了舞 And he dances.
成功了 Success.
他再一次表演起来 And here is that performance again.
所见不一定是事实 All is not what it seems.
那些看起来像眼睛似的斑点 Those spots that look like eyes
事实上是羽毛反射出来的晨光 Are in fact feathers reflecting the dawn light.
那个拍打声不是他的翅膀敲击木头的声音 That clicking noise is not his wings striking the wood,
而是翮羽之间的轻弹声 But quills flicking against one another,
就像弹手指一样 Like the clicking of fingers.
怪不得他的胸前羽毛 No wonder his breast shield is
被人类舞者如此的珍爱 so treasured by human dancers.
第九天 It's day nine.
米里亚姆依然在期待极乐蓝鸟 Miriam is still waiting for the blue bird to appear
能出现在她前面的灌木丛中 In the thicket in front of her.
他在附近的树林里鸣叫 He calls from nearby trees.
藏身之处会不会打扰他呢 Could the hide be putting him off?
终于 他来了 At last, he comes
并且用他独特的方式 And takes up his position on
在他喜爱的树枝上搔首弄姿 his favourite branch in his own special way.
表演是如此优雅 It's a performance of such exquisite beauty,
没有雌鸟在场观看实在是太不公平了 It seems unfair that no female is here to see it.
就像陷入爱河的罗密欧唱着小夜曲 He is serenading like a love struck Romeo
只是二楼阳台上却空空如也 But the balcony above is empty.
只能对他表示同情了 One can only sympathise.
雄性极乐鸟已经这样独自表演 Male birds of paradise have played to empty seats
千百年了 For hundreds of thousands of years.
不遗余力地展示着自己的美丽 It has been their special evolutionary destiny
一直是他们独特的进化方式 To spend their lives displaying their beauty.
这是让他们如此不同反响的原因 It's what makes them so extraordinary.
第二天早上 这只雄性极乐蓝鸟回来了 The next morning, the male blue bird returns.
突然 他停止了 Suddenly, he stops.
米里亚姆看到了摄像头视野之外的东西 Miriam has seen something off camera.
有一只雌鸟站在树上 There's a female in the tree above.
现在她来了 他的表演发生了改变 And now she's here, his performance changes.
他的拍打逐渐缓慢 His pulsing gives way to a subtle
只发出低低的嗡嗡声 但仍然在颤动 low buzzing that also throbs.
这是只有雌鸟在的时候 It's an unearthly sound that
才会发出的奇异声音 he only makes in her presence.
这是在任何 There's nothing like it
其它鸟类世界里 都听不到的声音 to be heard anywhere else in the bird world.
这样通过震动拍打并把胸脯鼓起 The vibrating movement and the puffing of the chest
来裸露黑色斑点的举动 是种亲密的行为 To expose the black patch was something intimate.
只有在雌鸟在他身边时才会这样 It only did that when the female was next to him,
光是看着他们 Just looking at it gave you
会让你产生一种偷窥的快感 a sense of guilty pleasure looking at them -
这是两只鸟儿之间的亲密行为 It was something intimate going on between the two birds.
慢慢地靠近 却不去碰触他 Moving closer, but without touching him,
雌鸟看起来 The female seems to be
像是在研究雄鸟颤动身体上的每一根羽毛 studying every feather of his vibrating body.
无疑 他表现得足够好了 Surely he's done enough...
但 答案是不 ..But no.
然后 她突然就飞走了 And then all of a sudden she just flew away,
他似乎在说 拜托啦 And it was like, "Oh, come on!"
对于正使出浑身解数卖力表演的雄鸟来说 For the male to go through all that, it was excruciating,
简直是迎头痛击 Just to put all the energy into it.
我想雌鸟对他的回答似乎是 And I think for him it was like,
好吧 我们改天再试试吧 "Ok, maybe we'll try another day."
然而 态度决定一切 Yet his effort is the whole point.
雄鸟所能做的只是全力以赴 Males can but try their best.
剩下的都取决于雌鸟 自古以来一直如此 The rest is up to the females and it was ever thus.
被拒绝以后 The plaintive call of the
雄鸟哀怨的鸣叫声在山间回荡 rejected male echoes across the mountains.
这些舞者们在这已经表演了上千年 These dances have been performed here for millennia,
但他们还能再表演多久呢 But for how much longer?
米里亚姆和她的团队 Miriam and her team have made
他们的项目已有良好开端 a good start on their project
但是还有更多工作需要做 But much more work needs to be done.
我们需要数据 为了得到它 We need numbers and in order to do that,
我们需要做调查 we need to do research,
我们需要数据 这样 We need numbers so that
我们就能知道它们怎样随着时间 we can see how they are fluctuating
和不同因素的影响而发生变化 With time and different factors -
人口数量增长 打猎 Human population growth, hunting,
干扰 森林砍伐 disturbance, forest clearing -
这样我们就能很好地了解 So that we can understand their
它们现存的状态 conservation status better.
与此同时 为了保存好 Meanwhile, to preserve
土著舞者手中尚存的羽毛 the feathers that the dancers already have,
研究小组把樟脑丸分发给了他们 The team are handing out mothballs.
让他们把樟脑丸放到 These can be put inside the bamboo tubes
存放羽毛的竹筒里 In which the feathers are stored
以免羽毛遭虫腐烂 and so save them from decay.
此举应该能减少他们因为需要新鲜的羽毛 That should reduce the demand for
而去对极乐鸟进行捕杀的行为 freshly hunted plumes.
如果有一种 或者两种极乐鸟从此灭绝 If we were to lose one of these birds, or two, it could mean
那种感觉 就像是人们丧失了 The loss of something that people
自己最心爱之物一样 hold close to their hearts.
巴布亚岛现在对极乐鸟 Papua new Guineans are now
以一种全新的方式关注他们的极乐鸟 caring for their birds in a new way.
这些极乐鸟已经与当地部族文化 The birds have survived the tribal culture
共存了几千年了 for thousands of years
但是 世界正在发生变化 But the world is changing
它们所赖以生存的森林也在变化 And their forest is changing.
米里亚姆和保罗 Miriam and Paul
正在着手一项新的保护极乐鸟的行动 are starting a new conservation movement
以确保世世代代 To ensure that generations to come
依然能欣赏到 Will still be able to
这些令人惊艳的极乐鸟 delight in these astonishing birds of paradise.
自然世界:重访极乐鸟天堂
一直以来 拍摄极乐鸟这一纪录片的机会 Filming birds of paradise displays has long been
对野生动物电影制作人 The holy grail
来说就像圣杯一样令人向往 of wildlife film-makers.
在所有拍摄记录中 It's one of the
这项拍摄任务是最为艰难的 most difficult behaviours of all to record.
第一位做尝试的人是30岁的大卫·艾登堡 The first to try was a 30-year-old David Attenborough.
1957年 他和摄影师查尔斯·拉古斯 In 1957, he and cameraman Charles Lagus
首次深入巴布亚高地 Journeyed deep into the highlands,
但是没人告诉他们怎么才能找到极乐鸟 But nobody would tell them where to look for the birds.
当地人认为极乐鸟就是钱的代名词 The local people thought birds were money.
当你试图寻找鸟儿们的时候 他们想 And if you were looking for birds, they'd think,
我知道他们找到后想要做什么 "Ah, I know what he's after.
我们是不会告诉他们哪里能找到极乐鸟的 "We're not going to tell him where our birds are."
因为他们打算把极乐鸟留着 They were saving them for
作为自己打猎的战利品 the moment when they wanted to kill them
用它们的羽毛来点缀新娘的闺房等等 And use their plumes in bridal settlements and so on.
技术上的难题又是当时的第二个考验 Technology was another obstacle.
50年代的胶片最大的问题就是 The trouble with film in the '50's
全是黑白的 was it was all black and white
因为那个时期的电视也是黑白的 Because television was in black and white.
即便是对比鲜明的黑白色 But even in black and white,
图像依然也很模糊 it was very insensitive film,
再加上大面积的热带雨林 So there were areas of the rainforest
在那根本无法完成拍摄 where you couldn't film.
原因很简单 没有足够的光线 There was simply not enough light.
终于 六周以后 Finally, after six weeks,
在几十个土著搬运工的协助下 assisted by dozens of porters,
他们终于一睹红羽极乐鸟的芳容 They eventually saw a raggiana bird of paradise.
即使在这样的光线下 我们依然可以看到 'even in this light, we could see
它闪亮的金色头部 彩虹般鲜绿色的嘴毛 'his brilliant golden head, his iridescent emerald green bib,
以及翅膀之下所包围的一层 'and the gorgeous red plumes
华丽的红色羽毛 hanging from beneath his wings.'
我得说 当时这纪录片拍得挺烂的 I have to say it was a pretty dud film, actually!
我指的是在六集节目录制后 I mean, what we eventually arrived
我们所能达到的程度 at after six programmes,
每周一期的节目...我们能找到极乐鸟吗 Weekly programmes... will we find the bird of paradise?
..结果以这种模糊的黑白片的拍摄成果收场 ..We ended up with this rather bleary black and white film.
那时我真的是相当尴尬 And I was rather embarrassed, really.
我认定人们会说 费这么多事就拍成这样 I thought people would say, "All that work for that!"
没想到在我们大肆宣传之后 So we gave it such a hype
人们居然说 "天哪 这么漂亮" That people said, "Good heavens - fancy that!"
不过说实话 拍得真的挺烂的 But they were pretty dud shots, really!
拍摄上仍有很大的提升空间 There was room for improvement and
拍摄上的飞跃发生在1965年 the leap forward came in 1965
先驱电影制作人亨氏·西尔曼 When pioneering film-maker Heinz Sielmann
把彩色摄影机 Lugged a colour movie camera high
运到新几内亚丛林进行拍摄 into the New Guinea jungle.
他花费了九个月时间 尝试拍摄极乐鸟 He spent nine months trying to film birds of paradise,
这期间 他克服了大量的技术难题 In the face of enormous technical difficulties.
他了不起的成就是 Heinz Sielmann's achievement
他选用了35毫米的镜头 was fantastic because he took 35mm gear.
你只能用35毫米的电影摄像机来拍摄 You only have to pick up a 35mm movie camera,
就是好莱坞用来拍电影的那种 Which is what they make hollywood movies with,
那么你知道它到底有多大了 And you know how big it is.
而且胶片本身的尺寸也很大 But also the film stock itself,
光鼓捣这些胶片就很费时间 goes through it at a terrible rate,
像这几大箱的设备你又得搬着到处走 Great cans of this stuff that you have to traipse around.
要走到拍摄地点绝对是体力活 And the sheer physical work of getting it there.
最终他拍摄完毕 带回了一些作品 And he got back with some material,
那些作品即使是拿到现在来看 Which I think, even to this day,
也是无人能及的 has not been paralleled.
30年后 It was 30 years
大卫·艾登堡再一次归来 迎接新的挑战 Before David Attenborough returned to the challenge -
1995年 他带领着制片人保罗·瑞德世 In 1995, with producer Paul Reddish
和两名摄影师一起 and two cameramen
携带着轻型16毫米的摄像机 and lighter 16mm film cameras.
及一部最早用于电视广播的 They also had one of the first broadcast
可做暗光拍摄的视频摄像机 low-light video cameras.
他们深入丛林长达28周之久 They headed into the forests for 28 weeks.
我们当时有迈克·波茨和理查德·卡比 So we had Mike Potts and Richard Kirby,
两位最好的自然史摄影师 Two of the best natural history cameramen,
拍摄中 我们就像军事行动一样部署他们 And we deployed them like a military operation.
他们的努力造就了这部独一无二的纪录片 The effort produced a special film
拍摄到了很多种以前从未拍到的极乐鸟 With many species never filmed before.
有些甚至只能用光感摄像机 Some could only be shot by the
才能够拍摄下来 light sensitive video camera,
比如令人惊艳的黑色镰嘴鸟 Like the impressive black sicklebill.
这一天拂晓的时候 It was a very early start one morning,
他们在搜寻一种鸟 In search of a bird
当地人也罕有看到其求偶过程 that even locals rarely see display.
当地人说 The local people say
雄鸟在这附近的一根栖木上做求偶表演 that the male does display on a perch just near here,
但是只在刚刚拂晓前才会有这种求偶行为 But it only does so at first light, just before dawn.
所以只能坐下来慢慢等 So the only thing to do is to sit down and wait.
它在那 树梢上那个模糊的黑影 He's there, that dim black shape on the sapling.
在黑暗中也能看得见 This really is seen in the dark.
有两个像手臂样的东西 There was things like arms,
他像要飞起来 但又没有离开 and he alomost wings but not ever left.
威尔逊的极乐鸟也是在半黑暗的状况下拍摄的 Wilson's bird of paradise was also shot in semi-darkness,
不过用的是16毫米的胶片 But using 16mm film.
在如此暗的光线下 In such low light,
即使是最新的胶片也无法捕捉到一切细节 Even the latest film stock failed to capture all the details.
在实验室增强处理了之后 After enhancement in the laboratory,
图像似乎有些褪色了 the images appeared bleached out.
而且那次拍摄还漏掉了一种非常特殊的鸟 And the film was missing a very special bird.
唯一没拍到的就是极乐蓝鸟 The only one we failed in was the blue bird.
那也是我为何对这部影片如此着迷的原因 That's why I'm fascinated by this film.
我们必须得找到极乐蓝鸟 We had it worked out to look at the blue bird
摄影师迈克·波茨 And Mike Potts, the cameraman,
本来打算去它们的所在地了 went up to the place where they were,
结果在当时拍摄的前一周发生了凶杀案 But there was a murder in the village last week.
那是一起仇杀事件 "There are going to be revenge killings
如果去的话可能把你也一起杀了 and you'll be for the chop."
而且在那地方也真的会把人杀掉 And there really would have been, too.
所以迈克别无他法 只能回来 So Mike had no alternative but to come back.
极乐蓝鸟就是他们唯一没拍到的 That was the one thing they missed
所以我在这次的节目中看到它就被深深震住了 And that's why I'm fascinated to see it in this programme.
2008年 自然世界的拍摄组 In 2008, the crew of natural world
再次前往新几内亚 坚决要拍到极乐蓝鸟 Headed for new guinea, determined to film the blue bird.
带去了高清摄像机 With them went high definition cameras,
这台机器曾在2004年 First used to film birds
被《行星地球》小组用来拍摄过极乐鸟 of paradise by the planet earth team in 2004.
行星地球:著名电视节目
高清摄影机能几乎双倍放大细节影像 High definition almost doubles the detail recorded,
能胜任在极度暗淡的光线下的拍摄 And can shoot in extremely low light.
劳氏六羽风鸟的地盘 The court of the lawes's parotia.
破晓时分 Dawn breaks,
光从它的金黄色胸部羽毛反射回来 Reflected in the feathers of his golden breast shield.
你甚至能数的清有几片 You can even count them.
它的地盘场地上几乎一片漆黑 The floor of his court is in near-darkness.
但是高清摄影机还是能 Yet the high definition records
拍到它的敏锐细节和真实色彩 sharp details and true colours.
但是再厉害的摄影机也不能 But even high definition can't see through a log
穿透倒塌的圆木进行拍摄 That has slipped down and
圆木遮住了他的头 now blocks his head.
摄影机被架设在隐蔽拍摄处 位置固定住了 With the hide built, the camera position is fixed.
唯一可以移动的就只有圆木了 The only thing that can move is the log.
圆木正好挡在了它的头部的正中 The log is right in the middle of its head.
它们一站起来 圆木就把他们的头全挡住了 When they stand up, it completely blocks their heads.
摄影师戴夫·阿伦调节了一下圆木的高度 Cameraman Dave Allen makes an adjustment,
希望它们不会察觉到 至少不会介意 Hoping the bird won't notice or won't mind.
又是一天充满希望 It was another of many hopeful
但是一无所获的破晓 yet unproductive dawns that broke
拍摄组来到这里以来 很多天都是如此 As the crew travelled the island.
日复一日徒劳的等待 忍受着蚊虫叮咬 Day after day of fruitless waiting with the wrong wildlife.
刺痛的很 蚊子咬的 It burns,just mosquitos.
坐那等待需要极好的耐心 The patience,I mean,The sheer mechanical patience of sitting there
几小时什么都没发生 Hour after hour with nothing happening
什么也没出现 and nothing turning up.
而如果你藏在那里 But if you're in a hide,
此时那极乐鸟正要有所动作 And particularly if a bird is doing something,
你清楚任何一个突然的 You know that any sudden
动静都有可能吓跑鸟儿 至少有这个风险 movement is going to scare that bird or risk it.
这时蚊子飞到你鼻子上 So a mosquito sits on your nose,
你知道你会被咬 you know what's going to happen
极度想用手去打它 但你就是不能这么做 And you desperately want to do that and you simply can't.
你只能让这该死的东西待你鼻子上 So you let the damn thing sit on your nose
毫无干扰地饱餐一顿 And suck your blood without moving.
那滋味相当难受 That's quite tough!
在风鸟的地盘上 雄鸟回来了 At the court of the parotia, the male returns,
但还是被挡住了头 But he's still headless.
再次调高横木 Up goes the log again.
第二天 终于拍到了 And next day - eureka!
好运气一直持续到几周以后 Their luck continued and a few weeks later,
终于拍摄到了那极为罕见的极乐鸟 They finally filmed that most elusive of birds of paradise -
极乐蓝鸟 The blue bird.
要把极乐蓝鸟拍好可不是一件易事 It's difficult to see how the blue bird could be filmed better.
当我第一次看到那组镜头的时候 When I saw that footage for the first time,
之前还从未见过这样的求偶细节 I hadn't seen that display in that detail at all.
我只是坐在电视机前惊呼 天哪 快看啊 I just sat in front of my television saying, "Ah, look at that!"
我完全被它征服了 And I'm still knocked out by that.
我觉得拍得很完美 I think it's a wonderful sequence.
极乐鸟另一项最吸引我的特点 The other thing about birds of paradise to me
就是它们不仅有惊为天人的美丽 Is that they are not only undeniably, wonderfully beautiful
他们其实也很疯癫 But they are actually dotty.
我是指 它们好像有点疯狂 I mean, they're kind of bonkers.
这是一种自然的放肆行为 It's the profligacy of nature
但是 说明白一点 But it's also, let's get it clear,
正是对雌鸟的渴望和迷恋 The desires and fascinations of the females
使得可怜的雄鸟 千百年来一直如此 That have turned these poor birds, male birds, down this line
为了求偶 他们不得不百般讨好 In order that they have to go through all these hoops,
做出各种奇妙表演 Do all these fantastic things,
很简单 就是为了确保求偶成功 Simply in order to make sure that they get the girl.