is-the-owl-vid-cute:ultrafacts:Source: [x]Click HERE for more facts!I am so tired of seeing this pos

is-the-owl-vid-cute:ultrafacts:Source: [x]Click HERE for more facts!I am so tired of seeing this post passed around. First of all, the image they use is horrible. The beaks normally look like this: Furthermore, that subspecies isn’t typically what is seen in Australia anyway. “Firehawk” refers to the black kite “fork-tail” or broader “Black” subspecies, the above is the “yellow-billed” subspecies, which looks like this (biggest difference is having a black beak instead of yellow):Anyway, point being the image used for this fun fact is horrible as the bird pictured has a horrifically deformed beak, a condition I hope was from injury or genetic mutation rather than poor husbandry. The bird pictured in the original is a very poor representation of this species. Additionally, “firehawk” also refers to the whistling kite and brown falcon. All three species engage in the peculiar behavior of spreading bushfires in order to take advantage of the flames to draw out prey. The other two species are below respectively:As for the behavior itself, it is ultimately not detrimental under normal circumstance. Grassland and Prairie biomes are ultimately restored by naturally occurring wildfires, and these birds have done this for over 40,000 years of recorded history and yet Australian wildlife did not struggle until European imperialism took place. The main concern now is that it of course interferes with the efforts of firefighters in successfully creating barriers to contain the bushfires since the birds certainly don’t pay any mind to the efforts of humans to prevent fires spreading to specific areas. Methods to properly mitigate this challenge are not yet fine-tuned, especially since many political leaders deny the newly solidified scientific research as well as they have ignored aboriginal people for centuries on the matter. -- source link

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