The first bird I fell in love with––my "spark bird"—was soaring in the northeastern Florida sky one May many years ago, its pointed wings spread gracefully and its deeply forked tail gently twisting to guide its curving flight. The black-and-white coloration was distinctive, and I rushed to a local used bookstore for what would become the first of many field guides on my shelves. A few flips of the pages, and I knew I'd seen a swallow-tailed kite', an elegant raptor that is a summer visitor to Florida and the southeastern United States.

“心动之鸟”——正在佛罗里达州东北部的天空翱翔。它优雅地舒展尖翅，并轻轻扭动深叉状的尾羽，来引导自己弧线形的航迹。看到它身上独特的黑白羽色，我赶紧跑到当地一家二手书店，买下了一本野外指南——它成为了日后我书架上众多野外指南中的第一本。刚翻了几页，我便确定自己见到的是一只燕尾鸢。这是一种优雅的猛禽，一般会在夏天“到访”佛罗里达和美国东南部。

Tens of millions of birders have had similar encounters with their own spark bird. In the United States alone, more than 45 million people are bird watchers. Roughly $4 billion is spent annually on birdseed and foods such as suet, nuts, and nectar, while another$2 billion is spent on binoculars, spotting scopes, and other equipment. Birds are the focus of conservation programs and citizen science projects' such as the Great Backyard Bird Count'; art projects like the Audubon Mural Project" in New York City, which highlights 314 bird species; and movies like Happy Feet (about penguins) and The Big Year(about a birding competition).

数千万观鸟者与他们的“心动之鸟”都有过类似的邂逅。仅在美国，就有4500多万观鸟爱好者，每年光是在板油、坚果、花蜜等鸟食上的花费就约达40亿美元，此外还有20亿美元用于购买双筒望远镜和观鸟镜等设备。鸟类不仅是各类保护计划与公众科学计划的焦点（比如“后院数鸟”计划），也是许多艺术项目的灵感来源（比如纽约市的“奥杜邦壁画项目”突出表现了314种鸟类），还是众多电影的主题（比如讲述企鹅的《快乐的大脚》和讲述观鸟竞赛的《观鸟大年》）。

That so many people love birds may be partly because there's a bird for everyone. The more than 10,000 known bird species come in an extraordinary variety, and they can be found--almost literally—everywhere.

人们如此热爱鸟类，部分原因在于，总会有一种鸟能够打动你。已知鸟类种类繁多，有1万多种，广泛分布于地球上几乎每一个角落。

Birds thrive in all habitats, from fierce roadrunners in rocky deserts to colorful toucans' in tropical jungles. You don't need to live next to a wildlife refuge or nature preserve to enjoy a multitude of bird species—even the busiest cities are home to swallows and sparrows, hawks nesting on skyscrapers, ducks in park ponds, and hummingbirds in flower beds.Taking a trip to the beach? Watch for sandpipers' running from the waves,pelicans floating on the water, and gulls flocking on the dunes. In rural areas,there might be quail, magpies, and wild turkeys at the edges of farm fields, while suburban yards can be flush with thrushes, warblers, and buntings. Wherever we are, birds provide us with an active, living connection to nature.

从岩质沙漠中性情凶猛的走鹃，到热带丛林中色彩斑斓的巨嘴鸟，在各种栖息地，鸟类都能生息繁衍。无须住在野生动物或自然保护区附近，你一样可以欣赏到各色各样的鸟类—即便最繁忙的都市，也有燕子和麻雀在此安家，摩天大楼上也有鹰隼在筑巢，公园池塘里有游弋的鸭子，花坛中还有飞舞的蜂鸟。去海边转转如何？留意那些逐浪奔跑的矶鹬、水上漂游的鹈鹕，还有群集在沙丘上的海鸥。在乡间的农田边上，也许会有鹌鹑、喜鹊和野火鸡；而到了郊区的庭院里，则到处是画眉、林莺和鸦鸟。无论身处何地，鸟类都是我们与大自然之间生动而鲜活的纽带。

Birds' often vibrant colors can distinguish a species in a beautiful way.The brilliant red of the northern cardinal" stands out against winter snows,while the bright hue of the blue jay' is a bold splash of color among the leaves.Birds come in every color, and some like the painted bunting'', with his blue head, lime-green back, and rich red chest-are a rainbow all by themselves.

鸟类通常有醒目的颜色，根据美丽的羽色可以分辨出是哪一种鸟。主红雀炽烈的红羽在皑皑冬雪中格外醒目，冠蓝鸦身上的鲜亮色调则如同一抹明快的颜料，点缀在绿叶当中。鸟类几乎拥有每一种色彩，其中如丽彩鸡，头部湛蓝、背部翠绿、胸部绯红，本身就犹如一道彩虹。

The varied hues have a purpose.Brighter colors can help birds attract stronger mates-—as a general but not ironclad rule, the more colorful of the species are the males, with female birds often more muted, more demure, in their coloring. In other cases, a mottled pattern provides camouflage to protect nesting birds, and some birds, such as the northern pygmy owl', even have false "eyespots" on the back of their head to fool potential predators.

这些多变的色彩并非徒有其表。鸟类羽色越是鲜亮，就越能吸引强壮的配偶——一般来说（但并非绝对），同类当中雄鸟的羽色更艳丽，雌鸟的羽色则更素净、更含蓄。而在其他情况下，斑驳的羽纹也可作为伪装来保护筑巢的鸟类；还有的鸟类——比如北美鹅鹃——甚至在后脑长有假的“眼斑”来迷惑潜在的捕食者。

The sight of birds in flight suggests a sense of freedom-from the awesome dive of a peregrine falcon!to the swoop-iring curves of a barn swallow, or even the quick flitting of a house wren" The long-distance migrations of birds, flying hundreds or even thousands of miles between their summer and winter habitats,highlight their endurance and perseverance, as well as a kind of navigational intelligence. Birds rely on landmarks and stars to guide their journeys.

鸟类翱翔的景象让人感到自由——从游华雷霆万钧的俯冲，到家燕轻盈飞掠的弧线,甚至是莺鹏鹤的快速穿梭。鸟类飞行数百乃至数千英里往返于夏季与冬季的栖息地之间，这种长途迁徙彰显出它们的耐力与坚毅，以及导航智慧。鸟类依靠地标和星辰指引航程。

There's a variety in how they fly as well. Consider the hours-long flights of albatrosses" out at sea as they soar on air currents; the frantic, adrenalineinducing flights of pheasants scattering from predators; or the flittering flights of foraging warblers navigating the high trees without hitting a single branch.

它们的飞行方式也各具特色。试想一下，信天翁在海上乘风翱翔，一飞就是数小时；雉鸡为躲避捕食者，在肾上腺素刺激下也会疯狂振翅而逃；林莺在高树之间穿梭觅食，却身形翩跹，从不会撞上树枝。

And of course, there's their songs.Chirps, whistles, coos, and warbles are as familiar as the somewhat less melodious screeches, squawks, hoots,and quacks. Some birds, such as mockingbirds, thrashers'", and catbirds', are outstanding mimics and imitate not only other birds but also other animals-as well as car alarms and ring tones.

当然，还有鸟类的歌鸣.啁啾声、口哨声、咕咕声和鸣啭声，与稍欠悦耳的尖啸声、嘎嘎声、鸣鸣声和呱呱声，听上去都一样熟悉。有的鸟类，比如嘲鸦、弯嘴嘲鸦和园丁鸟，还是出色的模仿者，不仅能模仿其他鸟类和动物的叫声，还能模仿汽车警报声和电话铃声。

Birds sing to attract mates and to defend their territory, with more complex songs indicating better health and greater experience to lure the very best mates or defend larger territories. Other songs and calls communicate information about food or predators, and while in flight, flocks of birds often call to one another to maintain proper spacing with their airborne neighbors.

鸟类通过歌声来吸引配偶、捍卫领地，而越是复杂的歌声，越能体现它们体魄强健、经验丰富，进而吸引最优质的配偶或捍卫更大的领地。其他鸣叫一般用于传递关于食物或天敌的信息。同时，鸟群在飞行中常通过鸣叫来与同伴保持适当距离。

The reasons why humans appreciate birds are almost as diverse as birds themselves. The bill of a roseate spoonbill', the hovering of a hummingbird,the gleam of an eagle's eye, the trill of a nightingale in the gloaming: Maybe one of those birds is your spark bird, long since catalogued or quite literally just up around the bend.

人类欣赏鸟类的原因几乎和鸟的种类一样多：粉红琵鹭的长喙、蜂鸟的空中悬停、鹰眼中闪烁的微光、黄昏时夜莺的颤鸣——它们当中也许就有属于你的“心动之鸟”，早已被收录在册，抑或即将与人类相识。

（译者单位：西安工程大学人文学院）