假貓頭鷹和其他誘餌有用嗎?

假貓頭鷹和其他誘餌有用嗎?

Maybe you've seen a scarecrow perched in a field or a plastic owl standing guard over a garden. The idea is that the decoy will scare away birds and small mammals from feasting on whatever goodies lie below. But do the fake people and pseudo-avian predators really do the trick?

也許你看到過一個稻草人棲息在田野里，或者一只塑料貓頭鷹守衛(wèi)著花園。他們的想法是，這種誘餌會嚇跑鳥類和小型哺乳動物，使它們不敢享用下面的美食。但是這些假人和偽鳥類捕食者真的能成功嗎?

With his frightening eyes, an owl decoy might scare away some birds. (Photo: rck_953/Shutterstock)

Scarecrows have long been the method of choice to dissuade birds from feasting on seeds and growing crops. They're often stick-like mannequins dressed in old clothes and placed in fields and gardens to ward off crows, sparrows and other hungry birds.

稻草人長期以來一直是阻止鳥類吃種子和種植莊稼的首選方法。它們通常是穿著舊衣服的粘乎乎的人體模型，被放置在田野和花園中，用來驅趕烏鴉、麻雀和其他饑餓的鳥類。

But one of the problems with scarecrows is they just stand there. Sooner or later, the birds figure out that the stick guy is no person because he just doesn't budge. Once they realize that, fear flies away.

但是稻草人的問題之一是他們只是站在那里。遲早，鳥兒們會發(fā)現(xiàn)樹枝人不是人，因為它就是不動。一旦它們意識到這一點，就不再恐懼了。

Wising up to owls

警惕貓頭鷹

This pigeon has gotten used to his plastic owl pal. (Photo: Eric Buemeyer/Shutterstock)

Realizing that scare-people aren't all that scary, inventors came up with new and improved decoys. They tried owls because so many birds and small mammals, like rabbits, are frightened of the winged predator.

意識到恐懼——人并沒有那么可怕，發(fā)明家想出了新的和改進的誘餌。他們嘗試貓頭鷹是因為很多鳥類和小型哺乳動物，比如兔子，害怕有翅膀的捕食者。

Farmers, backyard gardeners, building managers and homeowners hang plastic owls in hopes hungry animals will recognize the owl shape and stay away. And that works, at least for a time.

農民、后院園丁、建筑經理和房主們懸掛塑料貓頭鷹，希望饑餓的動物能認出貓頭鷹的形狀，并遠離它們。這至少在一段時間內有效。

The birds wised up, however. After a few days, they realized the owl was fake and returned to the feeder.

然而，鳥兒們還是反應了過來。幾天后，它們意識到這只貓頭鷹是假的，就回到了喂食器旁。

So it's the scarecrow problem all over again. If something just sits there — no matter how frightening it appears at first glance — birds figure out it's not all that scary.

所以這又是稻草人的問題。如果有什么東西只是坐在那里——不管第一眼看上去多么可怕——鳥類會發(fā)現(xiàn)它并不那么可怕。

Movement is key

能動是關鍵

Large farms might use dancing tube men to scare away hungry birds. (Photo: Michael Warwick/Shutterstock)

Fake owls might work if you need to keep birds or animals away from somewhere for just a day or two. Or you could move your plastic owl around your house or garden so it looks like it's real. Some people also tie it to a rope so it sways and moves, almost like it's flying.

如果你需要讓鳥類或動物離開某個地方一兩天，假貓頭鷹可能會有用。或者你可以把你的塑料貓頭鷹搬到你的房子或花園里，讓它看起來像真的一樣。有些人還把它綁在繩子上，讓它搖擺和移動，就像它在飛一樣。

There are also special products that move and bounce constantly to convince hungry visitors they are keeping guard.

還有一些特殊的產品，可以不斷地移動和彈跳，讓饑餓的游客相信他們在保持警惕。

Some large farms have also turned to those inflatable tube men that you often see outside car dealerships. They dance and shimmy and whip their appendages all around. No bird would dare go near them.

一些大型農場也轉向了那些你經常在汽車經銷店外看到的充氣管工。它們跳舞，搖擺，揮舞著它們的附屬物。沒有一只鳥敢靠近它們。

Deterrents in the water

水中的阻嚇物

It isn't just birds that are sometimes fooled by pretend predators. Surfers are finding their own decoys to try to deter sharks.

不僅僅是鳥類有時會被偽裝的捕食者愚弄。沖浪者正在尋找自己的誘餌，試圖阻止鯊魚。

A company named Shark Eyes offers huge eye-shaped stickers that can be attached to surfboards, clothing and diving gear. The company says it, "aims to trick the shark into thinking it's been spotted, thereby removing the element of surprise and deterring an attack."

一家名為Shark Eyes的公司提供巨大的眼形貼紙，可以貼在沖浪板、衣服和潛水裝備上。該公司表示，“目的是欺騙鯊魚，讓它以為自己被發(fā)現(xiàn)了，從而消除了意外的因素，并阻止攻擊。”

Richard Pierce, conservationist and founder of the Shark Conservation Society, tells Insider the eyes make sense as a deterrent.

保護主義者、鯊魚保護協(xié)會創(chuàng)始人理查德·皮爾斯告訴Insider網(wǎng)站，眼睛有威懾作用。

"Great Whites are primarily ambush predators," he said, "and so it could be that if they were convinced their prey was observing them, they make look for an easier opportunity elsewhere."

“大白鯊主要是埋伏的捕食者，”他說，“因此，如果它們確信它們的獵物在觀察它們，它們可能會在其他地方尋找更容易的機會。”