Australian firebirds and savanna fires

Recent studies have revealed a fascinating fire adaptation in Australian hawks. The Brown Falcon and Black Kite have been directly observed setting fires in Australian savanna by carrying burning material to new areas.

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_ecology#/media/File:Fire_hawks.jpg

Why do they do this? Fleeing prey such as insects, amphibians, and small mammals are an easy catch for the birds, who wait just in front of the fires to nab them as they leave the burning area. This is an example of a very unique fire adaptation in the animal kingdom.

Australian savanna or grassland is an ecosystem that evolved with fire, and many of the plants there are adapted to fire. Several species of Eucalyptus, for example, exhibit serotiny (fire-dependent seed release), epicormic branching (new growth that comes from tissue protected from fire), and tall crowns with few lower branches.


Image source: http://anpsa.org.au/APOL24/dec01-5.html

Eucalyptus can even encourage fires--the rot-resistant leaves produce a flammable oil which creates a huge fuel load on the ground. Eucalyptus can be very long-lived, but has trouble regenerating if there is a thick understory. The highly flammable leaf litter under these trees can help clear out the understory during a fire, allowing the trees to regenerate, both via serotinous seeds and epicormic branching.

Sources:
http://www.grindtv.com/wildlife/birds-of-prey-are-starting-fires-deliberately-in-australia-study-reveals/
http://wildfiretoday.com/2014/03/03/eucalyptus-and-fire/