Some Birds of Prey May Even Start Wildfires to Hunt

Wildfires are extremely deadly events for forests and the diverse wildlife living in them. However, such disasters have proven highly advantageous for some species, particularly certain birds known as “fire foragers.”

LiveScience reported that these predators “use fire to catch and eat small animals fleeing the flames or devour the remains of creatures killed by the fire.”

Birds of prey such as black kites, whistling kites, and brown falcons use fire to hunt. These raptor species are known to lie in wait near fire zones or use branches and other materials to start fires, luring out small mammals and insects to catch and eat.

In a recent study, scientists reported that Indigenous Australians and other members of the public had personally witnessed the culprits starting wildfires. One Indigenous Australian testified, “I saw a hawk grasp a branch in its talons and drop it into a dry field about half a mile away. It waited with other birds for groups of rodents and reptiles to flee.”

This behavior by birds was first documented in a 1962 autobiography written by journalist Douglas Lockwood.

In another case, an Indigenous Australian said, “A brown falcon dropped a ‘burning branch’ onto an unburned area beside a creek, spreading the fire.”

The scientists cited several reports of birds of prey deliberately setting fires “to flush out more prey.” The study was published online in the December 2017 issue of the Journal of Ethnobiology.