Laughing Kookaburra

The Laughing Kookaburra (*Dacelo novaeguineae*) is a bird in the kingfisher family Halcyoninae. It's a large kingfisher with a whitish head and a brown eye-stripe. The upperparts are mostly dark brown but there is a mottled light-blue patch on the wing coverts. The underparts are cream-white and the tail is barred with rufous and black. The plumage of the male and female birds is similar. The call is a distinctive laugh that is often delivered by several birds at the same time, and is widely used as a stock sound effect that involve a jungle setting.

The laughing kookaburra is native to eastern mainland Australia, but has also been introduced to parts of New Zealand, Tasmania, and Western Australia. It occupies dry forests, woodland, city parks and gardens. A breeding pair can be accompanied by up to five fully grown non-breeding offspring from previous years that help the parents defend their territory and raise their young. The laughing kookaburra breeds in tree holes or in excavated holes in termite nests. The usual clutch is three white eggs. The parents and the helpers incubate the eggs and feed the chicks. The youngest of the three nestlings or chicks is often killed by the older siblings. When the chicks fledge they continue to be fed by the group for six to ten weeks until they are able to forage independently.

A predator of a variety of small animals, the laughing kookaburra waits perching on a branch until it sees an animal on the ground and then flies down and pounces on it's prey. Its diet includes lizards, insects, worms, snakes, mice and it is known to take goldfish out of garden ponds.

Description

The Laughing Kookaburra is the largest species of kingfisher with a large head, prominent brown eyes, and a long and robust bill They have a white or cream-coloured body and head with a dark brown stripe across each eye and more faintly over the top of the head. The wings and back are brown with sky blue spots on the shoulders. The tail is rusty reddish-orange with dark brown bars and white tips on the feathers. The heavy bill is black on top and bone-coloured on the bottom.

Call

The name "laughing kookaburra" refers to the bird's "laugh". It can be heard at any time of day, but most frequently at dawn and dusk.

the kookaburra’s song is a learned behavior. The breeding pair within a riot of kookaburra teach the fledglings to produce the signature laughing call after the young have left the nest. The adult male will sing a short portion of the call while the offspring mimics this call. The singing lessons tend to last two weeks before the fledgling can properly sing and take part in crepuscular choral songs. Once mastered, the young can join in chorus songs that aid in establishing territory.

One bird starts with a low, hiccuping chuckle, then throws its head back in laughter: often several others join in. The laughing chorus has 5 variable elements: 1. "Kooa"; 2. "Cackle"; 3. "Rolling", a rapidly repeated "oo-oo-oo"; 4. Loud "Ha-ha-ha"; followed by 5. Male's call of "Go-go" or female's call of "Gurgle". Hearing kookaburras in full voice is one of the more extraordinary experiences of the Australian bush, something even locals cannot ignore; some visitors, unless forewarned, may find their calls startling.

Behaviour

Feeding

Kookaburras hunt much as other kingfishers do by perching on a branch or wire, and waiting for a prey to pass by. Common prey include mice and similar-sized small mammals, a large variety of insects (such as earthworms and snails), yabbies, small fish, lizards, frogs, small birds and nestlings, and most famously, snakes. Small prey are preferred, but kookaburras sometimes take large creatures, including snakes, much longer than their bodies. When feeding their young, adult laughing kookaburras will make “Chuck calls”, which are deep, calls that differ significantly from their daily chorus songs.

Relationship with humans

Laughing kookaburras are a common sight in gardens and urban settings, even in built-up areas, and are so tame that they will often eat out of a person's hands, and allow them to rub their bellies. It is not uncommon for kookaburras to snatch food out of people's hands without warning, by swooping in from a distance. People often feed them pieces of raw meat. Laughing kookaburras are often kept in zoos.

Recordings of this bird have been edited into Hollywood movies, usually in jungle settings, beginning with the Tarzan series in the 1930s, and in the film *The Lost World: Jurassic Park* (1997).