Every year,lots of animals around the world go on migrating journeys. Some need to find food, others are looking for somewhere to produce and raise their young. Migrations can be long and difficult for animals, but new research on birds has found that farmland along the way can help their progress.
每年，世界各地都有许多动物进行迁徙之旅。一些需要寻找食物，另一些则在寻找生产和养育后代的地方。迁徙对动物来说可能是漫长而困难的，但对鸟类的新研究发现，沿途的农田可以帮助它们前进。
In spring, hundreds of thousands of birds living near Lake Poyang, in China, fly north to Siberia, Russia. On the way,they find places to stop and eat to keep their energy levels up for the long journey. Some birds, such as geese, eat young grass that starts to grow at the beginning of the season.This food can last for only a few weeks. And rising temperatures caused by climate change can sometimes make the grass grow earlier than usual. This means that some birds are arriving too late to eat the grass. As more land is used for farming, the natural wetlands where birds like to search for food are disappearing, too.
春天，生活在中国鄱阳湖附近的数十万只鸟类向北飞往俄罗斯西伯利亚。在路上，他们会找地方停下来吃饭，为长途旅行保持能量水平。一些鸟类，如天鹅，以季节初开始生长的小草为食。这种食物只能吃几个星期，气候变化引起的气温上升有时会使草比平时长得早。这意味着有些鸟来得太晚就吃不着草。随着越来越多的土地用于农业，鸟类喜欢寻找食物的自然湿地也在消失。
A team of researchers have recently chosen to follow 246 birds, including geese and tundra swans, that are flying from Lake Poyang to Siberia.They find that the birds have changed their diets to adapt to the environments they pass through. As well as eating grass from the wetlands along the way, the birds are also eating seeds dropped by farmers.
一组研究人员最近选择跟踪246只从鄱阳湖飞往西伯利亚的鸟类，包括天鹅和苔原天鹅。他们发现，这些鸟类已经改变了饮食，以适应它们所经过的环境。除了吃沿途湿地的草，这些鸟还吃农民撒下的种子。
The researchers believe that seeds will become a more important part of migrating birds' diets as more natural wetland disappear. They suggest that if farmers use different ways of harvesting, such as using machines that leave behind more seeds in fields, it could help to feed migrating birds.However, they also say wetlands must be protected, so the birds can enjoy different foods during their long journeys.
研究人员认为，随着越来越多自然湿地的消失，种子将成为候鸟饮食中更重要的一部分。他们建议，如果农民使用不同的收割方式，比如使用在田里留下更多种子的机器，这可能有助于喂养候鸟。然而，他们也表示，湿地必须得到保护，这样鸟类才能在长途旅行中享受不同的食物。
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