奇速英语

Scientists in Australia have used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help them locate (定位) an endangered bird called the Plains-wanderer. This new information will help scientists protect the rare (稀有的) birds.

The Plains-wanderer is a small bird that lives in Australia’s grasslands. They play an important role in controlling insects and spreading seeds which helps create healthier habitats (栖息地) for other native wildlife in Australia. The birds were once common in eastern Australia. But that’s changed, as grasslands have been turned into farms and cities. Zoos Victoria, the group behind the recent effort to locate Plains-wanderers, says the birds’ numbers have fallen by over 85% in recent decades. Scientists believe there are now only 250 to 1,000 of the birds left in the wild.

To protect these rare birds, Zoos Victoria first had to learn where they were. Female Plains-wanderers make an unusual “Ooom” call, and this was the key to locating them. The researchers set up 35 special recording devices (装置) called "song meters" in nine different grassy areas, where Plains-wanderers could possibly have been. The song meters collected tens of thousands of hours of recordings-far more than humans could analyze (分析). Then the researchers fed the recordings to an AI system trained to identify (识别) the calls of Plains-wanderers. The AI system discovered Plains-wanderer calls coming from two of the sites. After that, the scientists double-checked and found that the AI system was correct. Chris Hartnett, who works with Zoos Victoria, says the discovery is “huge”. And it is the first time in over 30 years that the Plains-wanderer has been found west of Melbourne.

The new information of Plains-wanderers will help scientists protect the birds. The team plans to work with the land owners to help protect the birds, and the grasslands they depend on. Now, the researchers are still “listening”—using song meters and AI to try to locate more of the Plains-wanderers.