Could Birds Have Helped Start,

the devastating fires in Australia?

it is not as far fetched as it sounds, it is well known and documented that Black kites (Milvus migrans), whistling kites (Haliastur sphenurus) and brown falcons (Falco berigora) all regularly congregate near the edges of bushfires, taking advantage of an exodus of small lizards, mammals, birds and insects, it appears that some may have learnt not only to use fire to their advantage, but also to control it! Australian Aboriginal lore is filled with references to birds carrying fire, some traditional ceremonies even illustrate the behavior, “At or around an active fire front, birds – usually black kites, but sometimes brown falcons – will pick up a firebrand or a stick not much bigger than your finger and carry it away to an unburnt area of grass and drop it in there to start a new fire,” says Bob Gosford, an ornithologist with the Central Land Council in Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory, who led the documentation of witness accounts, “It’s not always successful, but sometimes it results in ignition.” photograph Bob Gosford, for the full story of potential flying fire starters, have a look here, best wishes and hopes for all affected in this terrible disaster.