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This came across my desk late this evening. Stairs for birds to get in and out of drainpipes, pictured below, and found around Cape Hedo.
Now, you might wonder why birds need stairs. Well, it's because they're built for the Yanbaru kuina—also known as the Okinawa rail. But, you may still also be wondering, "Why in the world do birds need stairs when they have wings?" ?
Well, for two very good reasons. The first being that they are a near-flightless bird with short wings, as such, they might not be able to flap and hop out. The stairs help with this problem so that they can find them and easily walk out if stuck. The second reason is that the Yanabaru kuina is an endangered species and indigenous to Okinawa, only to be discovered in 1978; so if they got stuck, it would only lead to extinction faster.
The stairs also are multipurpose. There are other reptiles that need assistance as well. There are also endangered turtles in the area that need to get in and out as well. Some lizards also use the stairs.
Pretty neat effort done by the Government or other organizations to keep these things around longer or forever!
Oh, and watch out for birds crossing the street if you're in the area of Cape Hedo!
An Okinawa rail in its "natural habitat" (Okinawa ?):
Now, you might wonder why birds need stairs. Well, it's because they're built for the Yanbaru kuina—also known as the Okinawa rail. But, you may still also be wondering, "Why in the world do birds need stairs when they have wings?" ?
Well, for two very good reasons. The first being that they are a near-flightless bird with short wings, as such, they might not be able to flap and hop out. The stairs help with this problem so that they can find them and easily walk out if stuck. The second reason is that the Yanabaru kuina is an endangered species and indigenous to Okinawa, only to be discovered in 1978; so if they got stuck, it would only lead to extinction faster.
The stairs also are multipurpose. There are other reptiles that need assistance as well. There are also endangered turtles in the area that need to get in and out as well. Some lizards also use the stairs.
Pretty neat effort done by the Government or other organizations to keep these things around longer or forever!
Oh, and watch out for birds crossing the street if you're in the area of Cape Hedo!
G (Original Author) said:This is cool, found around Cape Hedo. They made steps in the drains so the Yanbaru Kunia a flightless, endangered, indigenous Okinawan bird (link in comments), could escape should they fall in. **Edit - I'm being told the steps are also for turtles and lizards, of any other that happens to get caught down there. There is also an endangered turtle around the mountains forgot the name
An Okinawa rail in its "natural habitat" (Okinawa ?):
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