The World's Longest Beak｜BBC Earth

A thousand plants growing on one single tree. Throughout the forest, this story is repeated endless times. As a consequence, jungles are home to more species of plants than anywhere else on Earth. And they in turn support a wealth of animals.
一棵树上能长出千百种植物。在整个森林中，这个故事无休止地重复着。因此，丛林中的植物种类比地球上任何其他地方都要多。反过来，它们也养育了大量的动物。

In Ecuador, the competition is at its most intense. Here there are 100 species of hummingbirds alone, all fighting for nectar. Each flower only has a small amount at any one time, and so it's first come, first served. One hummingbird has gone to great lengths to avoid conflict with other species.
在厄瓜多尔，竞争最为激烈。这里光蜂鸟就有 100 种，它们都在争夺花蜜。每朵花在任何时候都只有少量的花蜜，所以先到先得。有一种蜂鸟为了避免与其他蜂鸟发生冲突，可谓煞费苦心。

Swordbills are the only bird with a beak longer than their body. And some flowers are too elongated for the other 99 species of hummingbirds here to feed from them. A swordbill's extraordinary beak, however, enables it to reach the places that others can't. The top of this flower where the sweet nectar is produced. It has found a solution that means it doesn't have to join the fight. And as each long flower blooms, it gives the swordbill a fresh supply of food all to itself.
剑嘴蜂鸟是唯一一种喙比身体长的鸟。有些花太长了，其他99种蜂鸟无法从中取食。然而，剑嘴蜂鸟非凡的喙使它能够到达其他鸟无法到达的地方。这种花的顶部是产生甜花蜜的地方。它已经找到了一个使它不必加入战斗的解决方案。当绽放一朵长花时，都会给剑嘴蜂鸟带来新鲜的食物。

But having a beak longer than your body does have its drawbacks. For a start, it's tricky to keep it clean. Harder still, how do you preen your body feathers? Unlike the other hummers, swordbills can't reach their feathers with their beak. The only option — a good old scratch. It's a little unrefined, but a small price to pay for an exclusive food supply.
不过，喙比你的身体长确实有缺点。首先，保持清洁很麻烦。更难的是，你如何整理你身上的羽毛？与其他蜂鸟不同的是，剑嘴蜂鸟无法用喙触及羽毛。唯一的选择是——用爪子好好挠一挠。虽然有点不讲究，但为了独享的食物供应，付出的代价还是很小的。

词汇表
jungle 丛林，密林
in turn 反之，相应地，类似地
a wealth of 大量的，丰富的
Ecuador 厄瓜多尔（位于拉丁美洲）
hummingbird 蜂鸟
nectar 花蜜，甘露
first come, first served 先到先得，先来先服务
go to great lengths 竭尽全力，煞费苦心
Swordbill 剑嘴蜂鸟，刀嘴蜂鸟(sword-billed hummingbird)：一种生活在南美洲的蜂鸟，以其长而直的、超过了其身体长度的喙子为特征，主要用于觅食长管状花朵的花蜜。
beak （鸟、龟等的）嘴，喙
elongate 细长的，拉长了的
drawback 缺点，不利条件
tricky 难对付的，麻烦的
preen （鸟）用喙整理羽毛
scratch 抓，挠
unrefined 不精致的，不讲究的
exclusive 专有的，排他的

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