They are attracted to smoke and fires, where they seek escaping prey. Kites are also known to spread wildfires in northern Australia by picking up and dropping burning twigs so as to flush prey, leading to them being known in some circles as "firehawks".
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Feb 22, 2016 · Preliminary research suggests that birds—specifically the Brown Falcons and Black Kites of Australia—may also use fire to their advantage when ...
Jan 6, 2022 · Black Kites may actually create fires by carrying burning twigs in their talons and dropping them on a patch of savanna away from the original wildfire.
Jul 12, 2022 · The Black Kite is an Australian bird that will grab burning sticks from bushfires. They drop the sticks far away in order to cause more fires ...
Mark Bonta researches “firehawks,” Australian birds that may spread fires intentionally in order to make food collection easier.
Apart from humans, black kites are the only animal known to harness fire for personal gain. BBC Two.
Aug 19, 2015 · The black kite (pictured, an animal at Madagascar's Tsimbazaza Zoo) is one of the birds thought to spread fire in Australia. Photograph by Joel ...
Jun 1, 2024 · And their opportunism sometimes goes a step further: there's evidence that Black Kites sometimes even start fires. ... Whistling Kites and Brown ...