Black Kites - Do Birds Start Fires?
Podcast |
BirdNote Daily
Publisher |
BirdNote
Media Type |
audio
Categories Via RSS |
Education
How To
Natural Sciences
Nature
Science
Publication Date |
Jan 06, 2022
Episode Duration |
00:01:45

In the savanna country of northern Australia, the vegetation is well adapted to the area’s recurrent fires. As flames sweep across the savanna, Black Kites watch for prey like grasshoppers and lizards that flee the fire. But there’s now evidence that 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. The kites then pick off the escaping prey. Setting a new area ablaze allows that individual kite to feed in a space where there aren’t so many rival predators.  Learn more at BirdNote.org.

And did they teach humans to use fire?

In the savanna country of northern Australia, the vegetation is well adapted to the area’s recurrent fires. As flames sweep across the savanna, Black Kites watch for prey like grasshoppers and lizards that flee the fire. But there’s now evidence that 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. The kites then pick off the escaping prey. Setting a new area ablaze allows that individual kite to feed in a space where there aren’t so many rival predators.  Learn more at BirdNote.org.

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