'Firehawks' are deliberately causing wildfires by carrying blazing sticks, says new study

Wildfires can happen due to many reasons like lightning or because of humans. But Australia’s Aboriginal peoples have found another reason for these fires—birds. The indigenous people claim that a collective group of birds whom they call “firehawks” can apparently control fires by taking blazing sticks to new locations on their beaks or talons, as reported by National Geographic.

There is an interesting reason behind why these birds do this. "Firehawks" are said to find prey by using fire, mainly insects or small animals that try to run away from the fire. These fascinating anecdotes have been put together in a recent study called the Journal of Ethnobiology. Mark Bonta, a National Geographic grantee and geographer at Penn State University, made sure to clarify that they are “not discovering anything.” He said, "Most of the data that we've worked with is collaborative with Aboriginal peoples... They've known this for probably 40,000 years or more."

Bob Gosford, an Australian indigenous rights lawyer, and ornithologist, co-author of the study, said that birds like the black kite, whistling kite, and the brown falcon thrive in wildfires that happen in tropical savannas in Australia. He said in an interview in 2016 with ABC News, “Black kites and brown falcons come to these fronts because it is just literally a killing frenzy.” Gosford added, “It's a feeding frenzy because out of these grasslands come small birds, lizards, insects, everything fleeing the front of the fire." The report stated that from 1997 to 2011, about 18% of Australia’s savannas had wildfires each year. Some parts have even seen fires twice a year.

Waipuldanya Phillip Roberts in I, the Aboriginal, a 1964 autobiography of Roberts compiled by Australian journalist Douglas Lockwood had written something about these birds. He wrote, “I have seen a hawk pick up a smoldering stick in its claws and drop it in a fresh patch of dry grass half a mile away, then wait with its mates for the mad exodus of scorched and frightened rodents and reptiles.” He added, “When that area was burnt out, the process was repeated elsewhere.”

These passages are what led Gosford to start collecting firsthand accounts in 2011. He hasn’t had any firsthand experiences but some firefighters who have co-authored the study did have these experiences. Some local experts have even wondered if the hawks do this intentionally or unintentionally. Anthony Molyneux of the Alice Springs Desert Park in 2011 wrote, “If [hawks] have missed the prey and perhaps grabbed a stick... they will then drop that stick or rock." He added, “If the stick is smoldering or on fire, it will then start another fire.” However, the co-authors do not have any photos or videos of these birds' behavior. They hope to find some footage by studying instances of controlled burns administered by local firefighters.

Bonta said, "The more word gets out on this, the better," adding, "It's only a matter of time." If the hypothesis is correct then these birds could also become the reason for spreading wildfires. However, Bonta said, "The birds aren't starting fires from scratch, but it's the next best thing." According to Sciencealert, "Fire is supposedly so uniquely human."