Neomilvus pyromaniacus
In the time of humans, wildfires were prevalent in Australia. The dry conditions fueled the growth of massive fires. While these fires may have been started or exaggerated by human activity, humans were not the only species to influence fire spread. Several species of birds of prey were reported to spread fires into unburned areas, to prey on small animals attempting to escape. By ten million years in the future, these birds have taken the next step - they light the fires themselves.
The Australian phoenix has longer legs than the kites it is descended from, making it more adept at terrestrial locomotion next to burning outback. Although not all prey is caught at the edge of a fire, starting fires to flush out small mammals and rodents is not an uncommon practice in this species. Populations that more frequently hunt with fire have developed more ecologically sustainable burning practices, and this knowledge appears to be picked up by every bird in the area. The frequency of phoenix-started burns actually reduces the prevalence of catastrophic megafires within its range, by clearing out dry underbrush before too much of it accumulates.
