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So what conclusions can be drawn from the research?
从这项研究中，能得出什么结论呢？
Evidence is building up from experiments such as these that the birds are able to plan their actions in advance, which is very interesting for understanding their cognition.
这些及其类似的实验都提供证据表明，鸟类有能力提前计划自己的行动，这对于理解鸟类认知能力来说非常有趣。
They don't seem to be responding in a pre-programmed sort of way.
鸟类的反应似乎不是预先设定好的。
It may even be possible that they're able to view a problem and work out what the answer is.
更可能的情况是，鸟类有能力观察问题，然后想出解决方法。
However, a major difficulty is assessing whether this tool-using behavior is a sign of intelligence.
不论如何，主要的难题在于评估这种使用工具的行为是否智力的体现。
To some extent, this is related to the ecological circumstances in which the animal is found.
某种程度而言，这和动物所处的生态环境也有关系。
So scientists want to find out much more about how the crows behave in their native habitat, and a team from Exeter and Oxford universities is carrying out research in New Caledonia.
所以科学家希望了解更多乌鸦在天然栖息地（环境下）的表现，来自埃克塞特大学和牛津大学的研究队伍在新喀里多尼亚进行了一些调研。
They're looking into whether the birds' way of searching for food gives them any possible evolutionary advantage.
他们探究的是鸟类的觅食方式能否作为它们的进化优势。
The birds are hard to observe, as they live in a region of mountainous forest, so the researchers have attached tiny cameras to the tails of some birds, as one method of investigating their behavior.
要观察到这些鸟类实在很困难，因为乌鸦们生活在山区森林中，所以研究人员得在一些鸟的尾部安装上微型照相机来调查它们的行为。
The birds are masters at using sticks to find their food, in particular beetle larvae from the trees.
这些乌鸦非常精通于用小棍子觅食，特别是寻找树上的甲虫幼虫。
It's possible that the birds can derive so much energy from these grubs that they only need to eat a few each day.
可能的情况是，乌鸦能从这些食物（甲虫幼虫）中吸收到大量能量，所以它们一天只需要吃几只甲虫即可。
This would mean that they wouldn't have to spend most of their waking time searching for food, as most animals do.
这意味着，它们不需要花费大量的时间来觅食，大部分动物则需要这么做。
The beetle larvae have a distinct chemical make-up, which can be traced through the feathers and blood of birds that eat them.
甲虫幼虫的化学成分非常特殊。以此为食的鸟，其羽毛和血液中都能追踪到甲虫的特征。
Scientists have collected samples from crows in order to estimate the proportion of larvae in their diet.
科学家从乌鸦上收集到了一些样本，以估计甲虫幼虫在其食物中所占比例。
They should then be able to gauge the extent to which individual birds depend on using sticks to feed themselves.
然后科学家应该就能估计出一只鸟在多大程度上依赖使用小棍子来喂饱自己了。
We've learnt a great deal about the ability of New Caledonian crows to use tools, and some very interesting research is being carried out into them.
从新喀里多尼亚乌鸦使用工具的能力中，我们学到了许多知识，而且在此领域，人们还做了一些很有趣的研究。
