Fire Season

Migratory Avian.
About 3 feet tall, 6 ft wingspan, approx. 5 lb
Plumage ranges from whites to yellows and bright oranges and reds. Down is black. Generally, the brighter the plumage, the older the individual.

Fire doesn't seem to burn hot. Labs show "residue" samples taken earlier is some sort of slow-burning oil mixed with an enzyme. It can be assumed that this oil mixture is used as fuel.
Another observation: We have never seen an individual on fire. Only in couples do they seem to burn. Reports show we have seen males smoke, yes, but, again, never catch fire. (please note that we may only assume these are males-- we assume that we may gender them like other species of avian, with males typically having more extravagant plumage and patterns)
What I predict is
Only males produce oil, but perhaps not enough body heat to catch fire, only to smoke. And perhaps females do not produce the oil at all, but have the body heat to catch males on fire. Perhaps the production of the oil is influenced by some hormone, and once a pair decide to mate, they both catch?

Until we can do a biopsy, we can only guess at specifics. I encourage our observers to continue collecting samples, getting pictures, and recording their research.