为什么雪鸮在底特律过冬

As winter destinations go, Detroit might not be first on your list. But some snowy owls that live in the Arctic tundra of northern Canada have gone south for the winter. Specifically, some of the younger birds have hit the Motor City.

作为冬季旅游目的地，底特律可能不是你的首选。但是一些生活在加拿大北部北极苔原上的雪鸮已经到南方过冬了。具体来说，一些年轻的鸟类袭击了汽车城。

The striking white-and-black owls are only visiting. Because there was an especially successful breeding season in their Arctic home, the birds are in town due to a migration event called an irruption.

引人注目的黑白相间的猫头鹰只是来访。因为它们在北极的家有一个特别成功的繁殖季节，这些鸟来到这里是由于一次被称为突入的迁徙事件。

Photo: Jim Cumming/Shutterstock

Their usual home is now relatively crowded with birds, so they found a place where they didn't have to work so hard to eat. They'll return north in spring when it's time to breed.

它们通常的家现在鸟类比较多，所以它们找到了一个不需要辛苦工作就能吃东西的地方。春天是繁殖的季节，它们会回到北方。

"There's less snow here than there is in the tundra right now, so it's easier for them to find food," Bailey Lininger, a program coordinator at Detroit Audubon, told the Detroit Metro Times. "And there's less competition because the more mature birds are up on the tundra."

“这里的雪比现在苔原上的少，所以它们更容易找到食物，”底特律奥杜邦的项目协调人贝利·利宁格告诉《底特律都市报》。“竞争也减少了，因为冻土带上的鸟类更成熟。”

Most migratory birds have relatively predictable migration patterns, going to and from the same sites every year. However, the snowy owl's migration can be much more variable, reports the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Some stay in Canada or head to northern U.S. states in winter. In irruptive seasons, they might head as far south as Florida and Texas.

大多数候鸟有相对可预测的迁徙模式，每年往返于同一地点。然而，据康奈尔大学鸟类学实验室报道，雪鸮的迁徙可能更加多变。有些人冬天会留在加拿大或前往美国北部各州。在炎热的季节，它们可能会向南迁徙到佛罗里达州和德克萨斯州。

This winter, the birds have been spotted all around the city. Because they come from the tundra, they aren't used to seeing people, cars and buildings so they aren't afraid of them and aren't necessarily sure how to act.

今年冬天，城里到处都能看到这种鸟。因为它们来自冻土带，它们不习惯看到人、汽车和建筑物，所以它们不害怕他们，也不一定知道如何行动。

They've been hanging out on buildings, and one woman even found one perched on her car when she came out of a post office.

它们一直在建筑物上闲逛，一位妇女从邮局出来的时候，甚至在她的车上发现了一个。

"We want to be welcoming hosts for the snowy owls when they're in our city," Lininger told the Detroit Metro Times. "They're not used to seeing or being around humans, so don't harass them or freak them out."

林宁格在接受《底特律都市报》采访时表示:“雪鸮来到我们的城市时，我们希望能成为它们的主人。它们不习惯看到人类，也不习惯和人类在一起，所以不要骚扰它们，也不要吓到它们。”