The Whistling Kite, the Black Kite and the Brown Falcon are all known to use fire as a way to flush out prey from fields in Australia. A new study suggests that certain species of birds in Australia have figured out a way to spread fires in order to terrify — and eventually eat — their prey. Australia is being ravaged by the worst wildfires seen in decades, with large swaths of the country devastated since the fire season began in July. We call these fires Jarulan,' Waipuldanya said.It led to the publication of the peer-reviewed journal in late 2017-The birds' behaviour has led to the nicknames 'arson raptors' or 'firehawks' as they are seen spreading fires by picking up flaming sticks and dropping them into dry fields to scare out smaller animals (pictured)The publication compiled seven years of research into the behaviour of firehawk raptors in the Northern Territory working alongside local aboriginal land groups conducting controlled burns in grasslands.Findings determined the birds were in fact spreading fire intentionally, something Gosford confirmed to 'Black kites and brown falcons come to these fronts because it is just literally a killing frenzy. Birds who arm themselves with fire – classic Australia. 'I have seen a hawk pick up a smouldering 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.

The Whistling Kite, the Black Kite and the Brown Falcon are all known to use fire as a way to flush out prey from savannas in Northern Australia (pictured)But further research into the raptors' behaviour found they were intentionally spreading the fires for their own benefit. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. The idea was sparked by reports in the past century from the biography- 'I, the Abioriginal' about Alawa language group leader, health worker and activist Phillip Waipuldanya Roberts.A first-hand account of a sighting by Waipuldanya inspired Gosford to co-author a 2017 report into the raptors in the Northern Territory. ONS estimates 2,400 people are catching the virus...France sees another sharp rise in coronavirus cases with 4,700 new infections - up a thousand in a day as...Manchester United captain Harry Maguire is pictured in custody in Greece after arrest 'for attacking police'...PC Andrew Harper's killers could have manslaughter jail terms INCREASED as Attorney General refers case to...Why I won't renew my TV licence: Legendary BBC newsreader Jan Leeming, 78, says paying to watch the channels...I was laid low by a toxic COURGETTE: Music company boss was sick for four days after eating homegrown...Afghan refugees lose legal case against Home Office after claiming conditions at immigration removal centre...Storm Ellen claims first victim as London tourist, 50, dies in Cornish seas while 95mph gales thrash UK...Meghan Markle makes a political stand as she slams 'voter suppression' while urging women to vote for 'the...How Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interiors capture their 'newfound freedom': 'Bright and airy' design of...'It's an honour to continue your grandmother's legacy': Meghan Markle admits she 'didn't know' about the...Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spoke to 'Buckingham Palace about restructuring press system' last summer...One dead and at least ten injured as guests 'jump off balconies' to escape huge fire at Spanish luxury...Two Brits arrested in Spain after refusing to wear masks on Tenerife flight and 'waving at furious...Learner drivers react with fury after DVSA website crashes on the first day they can book a new test after...'Inhuman, degrading and indecent': Charity hits out at flogging of British ex-public schoolboy in Singapore...Think hot flushes are the worst bit of menopause?

A number of native Australian birds are making the bushfire crisis worse. The Whistling Kite, the Black Kite and the Brown Falcon have been nicknamed 'firehawk' (pictured) because of their unusual behaviour in spreading fire to capture small prey Field work in the Northern Territory in May 2018 is hoping to build on existing research to get a better handle on the way the species’ use smoke and fire.The research has focused on the Northern Territory’s tropical zone but there have been reports from around Queensland and Western Australia of similar patterns.Independent Researcher Dr Mark Bonta told the Daily Mail Australia it’s fairly widespread knowledge among Indigenous communities.‘I haven’t found an indigenous group that I’ve contacted that isn’t aware of it and a lot of these non-indigenous firefighters in some of these communities are familiar with it,’ he said.But he said the birds are likely to cause more damage outside of traditional fire seasons.‘It does seem to be the specific case that they spread fire when there isn’t much fire in the landscape, when resources are scarce, when they’re hungry, so that when you have abundant fire on the landscape- they don’t really need to do anything with existing fires- for example even with cooking fires,’ he said.But researchers are scared the ‘fire-bug’ reputation of the native Australian animal could cause people to start killing them. As it turns out, there are three "fire-foraging raptors" who demonstrate this diabolical arsonist behaviour, being the black kite, the whistling kite and the brown falcon. "Watch the thrilling new series The Deceived now on Stan. The birds' behaviour has led to the nicknames 'arson raptors' or 'firehawks' as they are seen spreading fires by picking up flaming sticks and dropping them into dry fields to scare out smaller animals.