Firehawks - The Crazy Fire Starters of AustraliasteemCreated with Sketch.

in #animals6 years ago (edited)

howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North Texas!

Guys.. I saw this article about these nutso birds in Northern Australia
and wanted to see if anyone has heard of this phenomenon, especially
my wonderful Steemit friends from Down Under.

I know there are droughts going on there and just imagine the fire
potential in the Northern Grasslands with parched soil and dry grass!
Yikes..so you may have a fire going on that the firefighters are
working like the dickens to put out.. and then these yahoos show up!

What they do is swoop down and grab a burning stick and fly off with
it to an unburned area of grass located next to a clearing or a road.
In this photo they are gathered to catch prey that runs from the fire
into the road.

180112-firehawks-1.jpg

Then they drop the burning stick and start a fire, thus forcing the
rodents and reptiles and such out into the open where they can
snatch them up! lol. It's clever..actually brilliant for a bird-brain..
but then the firefighters have another fire to contend with.

Is that the craziest thing you ever heard of birds doing? I mean this
is using tools and it's strategic planning! There are three kinds of
Fire birds which do this. The Black Kites, Whistling Kites and the
Brown Falcon.

here's a Brown Falcon:
IMG_3671.jpg

Not only that but they will go to a fire which is all but extinguished
and burning out because it is up against a river or some natural
barrier, and they pick up burning embers and take them to the other
side of the natural barrier and restart the fire there!

Here is a description by an Aboriginal man Waipuldanya:

"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."

African-Savanna-Body-Image-01092018-1.jpg

So the Aborigines have known about this and observed it for
centuries but the white folk are just now finding out about it, of
course.

Scientists are setting up a research group composed of them and
Aboriginal ranger groups to see what they can discover about the
way these birds work and what can be done about them.

180112-firehawks-full.jpg

By the way, the Aborigines have inhabited and managed the
grasslands with controlled burning for at least 50,000 years. Over
millennia, Aboriginal people have accumulated an unparalleled
understanding of this ecosystem and the animals that inhabit it —
knowledge that is in danger of being lost as cultural traditions are
abandoned by the younger generations.

It's a shame that this knowledge is being lost but the government
will spend millions on this research project I'm sure but my question
is..why don't they just ask the Aborigines about those birds?

Birds are alot smarter than we thought though and I'm sure we'll be
even more impressed when they finish the study.
(all photos are from livescience.com)

Thanks so much for reading folks!
-jonboy Texas
the gentleman redneck

ya know...you might just be a redneck if:

You throw a beer can out the truck window and your wife shoots it!

texas-facts.jpg

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awesome article. i'll ask my elders next i get a chance.

howdy again dunstuff! where do you live and who are your elders?

im an aussie.
my elders are those before me. the people forgotten by beurocracy

well howdy there dunstuff! so you are saying that you are an Aborigine? Can you expand a little?

im half cast. my dads aboriginal, and his mum is ... was.... full blooded.
i really need to head back out and spend some time with them.

sir dunstuff! well that's very interesting indeed and it would be wonderful to know what you learn when you talk to them!

Wow opportunistic little guys.
Great survival instinct for them not so much for everyone else

isn't that amazing sugarcreek? I think if they were in Texas everyone would just shoot them all. yeah they take care of themselves while they burn the countryside down! lol. bless you.

I hadn't heard of that. It must be really frustrating for the firefighters to deal with. Time to equip the firetrucks with shotguns.

Nope, not a redneck.

because we are somehow more important than birds, right?

howdy there dunstuff! well, yes humans take priority over birds if it's a matter of our survival or food supply but I'm sure that Australia will work toward a solution which is good for us without endangering the birds. thank you so much for your comment!

hahaha! somehow I knew you wouldn't qualify for this redneck trait noname! I'm surprised they haven't used shotguns, that would be the Texas way but I suppose they're more civilized down there.

Isn't Australia more strict on guns than Texas? Actually, I think everyone in the world is more strict on guns than Texas.

no sir Texas has surprisingly strict ones but Australia doesn't even hardly allow anyone to have them, that's why gun crimes and other types of crimes have gone up so much because the criminals know that the law abiding citizens are disarmed!
it's the same story everywhere. the more free the gun laws and the more guns that people are allowed to have the lower the crime, same stats everywhere in the world.

Woaah.. Really 😮😮!! Can't believe they do that... Damn clever..
Wondering Now what other strategies animal life have.. to survive?

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ha! howdy to you my talented artist friend! well, I don't think you want to know, I think it involves taking over the human race! lol.
I don't know but I didn't realize that birds could strategize like that! it's almost eery.
thank you so much for commenting!

Haha.. I don't know somehow I found this thought a bit comforting.. Only two things to care about, food and where to nest.. 😅

Posted using Partiko Android

oh sometimes I wish that life could be that simple for us humans too I agree and can see why that thought could be a bit comforting to you, you are a good thinker itravelarts!

haha! hey! yes I finally saw your post, it's crazy and very good!

So @janton if you ever start a fire in Texas and it spreads you can blame the falcon! Good to know!

haha! sir blanchy! only you would think of that angle but it IS a good one in case I needed an excuse real fast. lol.

Cleaver birds.

Your post is drifting down the Resteem River! 🐠


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Keep creating! We're looking forward to your next post.

If you don't appreciate this comment, reply to your post and tag @resteemriver so we can remove it.

thank you so much resteemriver and God bless you!

Birds are smarter than we think!

This is the first time I have ever heard of this, but I have to say I agree with you that it is brilliant on the bird's part. Very cool info to learn, thanks for sharing.

howdy sir papacrusher! isn't it an amazing story? dang smart birds, and how do you stop them unless you use a shotgun but even then they wouldn't be able to patrol everywhere they could be.

you still working the grave yard shift?

nek minnit, bird sets firetruck alight XD

I'm off tonight. I've got 5 more nights then I'm back on days for 4 months. Hopefully, I'll meet some more interesting folks befire switching.

howdy again sir papacrusher! does that mean you don't meet interesting people during the daytime hours?

Oh no, I definitely meet interesting people during the day, but there is a wonderfully, special breed of people that inhabit the night. It is a magical time when they let their fangs show and their true natures loose.

hahaha! sir papacrusher..that doesn't sound like a magical, wonderful time! lol

Es increible lo inteligente que son esas aves, las fotos se ven muy bien, un abrazo @janton

¡jaja! Estoy de acuerdo mi amigo, es increíble de ver. ¡Ve a aprender algo todos los días en steemit!

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