Australian wildfires could have been spread by birds of prey
Predatory birds deliberately start fires to drive out prey from the undergrowth. Black Kites and Brown Falcons are spreading fires by dropping embers. There are eyewitness accounts of hawks carrying burning sticks to fresh patches of dry land. This is the first example of animals (other than humans) using fire.
Black Kites have also learnt to drop bread on water to lure fish, and Morrocan Falcons preserve their prey fresh (alive) by imprisoning it in holes and stripping its wings.
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