麻鳽是英國叫聲最響亮的鳥。這種鳥幾乎兩度從英國消失不見，但現在其數量正在恢復。英國皇家鳥類保護協會（The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds）的報告說，2021年統計有228只雄性麻鳽 ，是 “破紀錄的一年”，與2019年的209只相比有所增加。

The boom of a male bittern doesn’t come from his voice box. Unlike other birds, he uses muscles around his windpipe to expand his entire gullet into an echo chamber.

雄麻鳽的叫聲并非來自它的喉頭。與其它鳥類不同，它利用氣管周圍的肌肉將整個食道擴張成一個回音室。

Scientists count them by listening for those foghorn-like booms that can be heard from three miles (5km) away. There were estimated to be just 11 males remaining in the UK in the 1990s.

科學家們通過聆聽從三英里（五公里）外傳來的、霧角般的低鳴聲來統計麻鳽的數量。據估計，在上世紀90年代的時候，英國只剩下11只雄麻鳽。

Thanks to systematic restoration and re-creation of wetlands that were previously drained for agriculture, 228 males were counted in 2021.

在對曾為農耕而被排干的濕地進行了系統的修復和再造后，在2021年，雄麻鳽的數量共有228只。

Experts say that wetlands are one of the UK’s rare conservation success stories, and that other birds, including cranes, spoonbills and egrets, have returned to sites they’d previously vanished from.

專家表示，濕地保護是英國為數不多的自然保護成功案例之一，其它鳥類，包括鶴、琵鷺和白鷺，也已重現于之前消失的地方。

詞匯表

boom 隆隆的低鳴聲
gullet 食道
echo chamber 回音室
foghorn-like （聲音）像霧角般的
restoration 修復
wetlands 濕地
success stories 成功案例
vanished 消失不見

閱讀理解：請在讀完上文后，回答下列問題。

1. How far away can the sound of a bittern be heard?

2. True or false? The bittern’s ‘boom’ sound comes from its voice box.

3. What changes have helped to increase the numbers of bitterns?

4. Has this ‘conservation success story’ only helped bitterns?

答案  

1. How far away can the sound of a bittern be heard?
Scientists count them by listening for those foghorn-like booms that can be heard from three miles (5km) away.

2. True or false? The bittern’s ‘boom’ sound comes from its voice box.
False. The boom of a male bittern doesn't come from his voice box.

3. What changes have helped to increase the numbers of bitterns?
A systematic restoration and re-creation of wetlands that were previously drained for agriculture has helped increase the numbers of bitterns.

4. Has this ‘conservation success story’ only helped bitterns?
No. Improvements to wetlands mean other birds, including cranes, spoonbills and egrets, have returned to sites they previously vanished from.