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Australian Birds of Prey Are Deliberately Setting Forests On Fire (cosmosmagazine.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the Smokey-the-bird dept.

An anonymous reader writes: If you've been counting the ways the Australian environment is trying to kill you, you can now add "arson" to the list. According to a six-year study published in The Journal of Ethnobiology, observers have confirmed what Aboriginal rangers have been observing for years: birds of prey routinely carry burning or smouldering sticks into dry grassy areas to scare small mammals into fleeing so they can be pack-hunted more effectively. This has implications for environmental management, since the best firebreak will not protect your controlled burn from a "firehawk" determined to breach it.

4 of 96 comments (clear)

  1. Time to write Australia off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Surely it's time to just give up on Australia. It's the same temperature as the sun, every single creature there wants to either kill you or give you an STD and now even the god damn birds are trying to set the whole country ablaze.

    Maybe it's time to just board up the windows and move to a less murderous country.

    1. Re:Time to write Australia off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      If the animals are giving you an STD you're doing nature watching wrong.

    2. Re:Time to write Australia off by Evtim · · Score: 4, Funny

      Death held out a hand. I WANT, he said, A BOOK ABOUT THE DANGEROUS CREATURES OF FOURECKS-

      Albert looked up and dived for cover, receiving only mild bruising because he had the foresight to curl into a ball.

      After a while Death, his voice a little muffled, said: ALBERT, I WOULD BE SO GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD GIVE ME A HAND HERE.

      Albert scrambled up and pulled at some of the huge volumes, finally dislodging enough of them for his master to clamber free.

      HMM... Death picked up a book at random and read the cover. "DANGEROUS MAMMALS, REPTILES, AMPHIBIANS, BIRDS, FISH, JELLYFISH, INSECTS, SPIDERS, CRUSTACEANS, GRASSES, TREES, MOSSES, AND LICHENS OF TERROR INCOGNITA, " he read. His gaze moved down the spine. VOLUME 29C, he added. OH. PART THREE, I SEE.

      He glanced up at the listening shelves. POSSIBLY IT WOULD BE SIMPLER IF I ASKED FOR A LIST OF THE HARMLESS CREATURES OF THE AFORESAID CONTINENT?

      They waited.

      IT WOULD APPEAR THAT-

      "No, wait master. Here it comes."

      Albert pointed to something white zigzagging lazily through the air. Finally Death reached up an caught the single sheet of paper.

      He read it carefully and then turned it over briefly just in case anything was written on the other side.

      "May I?" said Albert. Death handed him the paper.

      "'Some of the sheep, '" Albert read aloud. "Oh, well. Maybe a week at the seaside'd be better, then."

      WHAT AN INTRIGUING PLACE, said Death. SADDLE UP THE HORSE, ALBERT. I FEEL SURE I'M GOING TO BE NEEDED.

  2. Re: I hope by vtcodger · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Birds are intelligent. They can learn from mistakes."

    Yep, it is the ability to learn from mistakes that distinguishes them from humans. ... Well ... that ... and feathers.

    --
    You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey