The largest are the thunderbirds called Dromornis stirtoni.

最大的一种雷鸟叫 Dromornis stirtoni。

But in big bird circles, you'll hear them called thunderbirds.

但在大型鸟类圈里，它们被称为“雷鸟”。

And while the thunderbirds went extinct, the emu survived.

虽然雷鸟灭绝了，但鸸鹋却活了下来。

And life did get tough for thunderbirds.

雷鸟的生活确实变得艰难了。

Trevor says the thunderbirds' vegetarian diet might partly explain their size.

特雷弗说，雷鸟的素食饮食可能是其大体型的原因之一。

And in Bohemia, New York we are happy to see the thunderbirds today. They are online at Connetquot High School.

还有纽约的波西米亚, 我们今天很高兴看到雷鸟。他们是网上Connetquot高中的学生。

But this can be a riskier strategy when life is tough. And life did get tough for thunderbirds.

但当生活艰难时，这可能是一个风险更大的策略。雷鸟的生活确实很艰难。

Consider the emu, a different big bird that lived alongside the thunderbirds.

鸸鹋是与雷鸟一起生活的另一种大型鸟类。

Thunderbirds lived in Australia, and they had a long run.

雷鸟栖息在澳大利亚，可以长距离奔跑。

And there was one thunderbird that was more thunderous than the rest.

有一只雷鸟的声音比其他的鸟都要响亮。

This one goes to the Thunderbirds at Zia Middle School, bringing the Thunder from Las Cruces, New Mexico.

向齐亚中学的雷鸟队大声致意，从新墨西哥州拉斯克鲁塞斯带来雷霆队吧。

She's talking about the dromornithids. That's their scientific name. But in big bird circles, you'll hear them called thunderbirds.

她说的是雷啸鸟。这是它们的学名。但在大鸟圈，你会听到它们被称为雷鸟。

This theory is backed up by another bird tale. Consider the emu, a different big bird that lived alongside the thunderbirds.

这一理论得到了另一种鸟类传言的支持。想想鸸鹋，另一种与雷鸟生活在一起的大鸟。

Humans arrived in Australia around 50,000 years ago, and soon after, you don't find any species of thunderbirds at all.

人类大约在五万年前来到了澳大利亚——之后不久，你就再也找不到任何一种雷鸟了。

This is paleontologist and thunderbird expert Trevor Worthy.

这是古生物学家和雷鸟专家特雷弗·沃西。

Lichtman: But how did thunderbirds grow so big?

Lichtman：但是雷鸟是怎么长这么大的呢？

Chinsamy-Turan: The largest are the thunderbirds called Dromornis stirtoni.

Chinsamy-Turan：最大的是雷鸟，称为 Dromornis stirtoni。

Only a few, but they're a damn sight better sports car than those Corvettes and Thunderbirds.

只有少数，但它们是比那些 Corvettes 和 Thunderbirds 更好看的跑车。

Lichtman: Thunderbirds lived in Australia, and they had a long run.

Lichtman：雷鸟生活在澳大利亚，而且它们的寿命很长。

And the name the thunderbirds is really quite wonderful because it kind of immediately — you can understand these really large animals are coming.

“雷鸟”这个名字真的很奇妙，因为它能让你立刻明白，这些大型动物就要来了。