Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Nancy Sun.

And I'm Kelly Kimura.

In today's stories, top night markets for international visitors, and a big bird takes over the New York skyline.

And in today's Tasty Tidbit, one student from New Taipei tells us all about a strange animal!

Stay tuned for more on those stories!

______________________________________________________

外國觀光客最愛台灣的那些夜市?

Visiting Tourists Rank Favorite Night Markets

We're used to visiting Taiwan's awesome night markets whenever we want.

Looking to do some shopping?

Feel like shooting some darts (飛鏢)?

Or how about some delicious treats?

Night markets are a super fun way to enjoy a night out (外出玩樂的夜晚).

And visitors from other countries love night markets too.

In fact, a government survey shows night markets are a favorite thing to try out for international tourists!

But which ones do they like best?

The survey shows the famous Shilin Night Market in Taipei was the top choice.

Almost 38 percent of visitors made sure to stop by there on their trip to Taiwan.

Government data shows that around 2.4 million international tourists visit Shilin Night Market every year!

Then there's Raohe Street Night Market, with almost 29 percent.

And rounding out the Taipei trio, is Ningxia Night Market at 17 percent.

But hold up, there's lots of love for places outside of Taipei too.

Down south in Kaohsiung, Liuhe Night Market takes the fourth spot.

It's the most popular night market outside of Taipei, attracting almost 7 percent of international visitors.

And Taichung's Fengjia Night Market takes fifth, with just over 6-percent.

Overall, the survey shows that almost 6.5 million tourists visited Taiwan last year.

And it seems like they had a great time.

Over 97 percent said they really enjoyed their trip.

And more than half said they would visit Taiwan again within five years.

去年來台的外國觀光客有將近650萬人，97%對台灣旅遊感到滿意，過一半說願意五年內再回來玩。

Many said they liked that Taiwan's people are so friendly.

They also said it was very easy to get around, and the island felt very safe.

______________________________________________________

"鴿"吉拉? 巨型鴿子雕像佔領紐約高架公園

Giant Pigeon Sculpture Takes New York

Something BIG is headed to New York City.

What is that?

It's as tall as a building.

It's got sharp claws on its feet!

It's not Godzilla…

It's not aliens…

Is that…is that a…pigeon?

Pigeons are everywhere in New York City.

They hang around on the streets.

They look for food in parks.

They sit and relax on buildings.

They are a part of the city.

In fact, scientists think there are more pigeons in New York City than people!

They estimate (估計) that there are about 9 million pigeons in NYC, compared to 8 million people.

A long, long time ago, there weren't any pigeons in the area.

Scientists think European settlers (歐洲定居者) brought pigeons to the city in the 17th century.

And pigeons are definitely a part of the city now.

But guess what, these birds are about to get "SUPER-SIZED"

The city is putting a realistic sculpture (真實的雕像) of a pigeon in High Line Park (高架公園).

And this pigeon sculpture is about 5 meters tall.

That's almost as tall as a giraffe!

And what would you name this huge piece of art?

"Giant Pigeon"?

Or "Big Bird"?

How about…"Dinosaur".

"Dinosaur" is made by an artist named Ivan Argote.

Ivan likes putting pigeons into his art.

And he says he calls this sculpture "Dinosaur", because it's so big.

Ivan also says dinosaurs are ancestors (祖先) of pigeons.

這隻巨型的"鴿子"名為 "Dinosaur", 是藝術家Ivan Argote 打造的雕塑。

City officials say Ivan's art is very interesting.

They say he can take something familiar (熟悉)…

And make people think about it in a new and different way.

What do New Yorkers think about this giant pigeon statue?

They'll have some time to think about it.

"Dinosaur" will loom over New York City for 18 months.

______________________________________________________

So in today's News Bites:

A government survey says night markets are a favorite thing to try out for international tourists!

The survey shows the famous Shilin Night Market in Taipei was the top choice.

Down south in Kaohsiung, Liuhe Night Market takes the fourth spot.

And Taichung's Fengjia Night Market takes fifth.

______________________________________________________

New York City is putting a realistic sculpture of a pigeon in High Line Park.

This pigeon is almost as tall as a giraffe!

The sculpture is called "Dinosaur".

______________________________________________________

趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

In today's Tasty Tidbit….

How does a lion say "hello" to other animals?

It says "Pleased to EAT you!"

And now 10-year-old Ray from TYK Elementary and Junior High School in New Taipei tells us all about another fun animal.

******

And that's it for today's episode of News Bites!

If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit at [email protected].

And you might hear it at the end of an episode!

We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!