Kookaburra
Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus Dacelo native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri "guuguubarra", onomatopoeic of its call. The loud, distinctive call of the laughing kookaburra is widely used as a stock sound effect in situations that involve an Australian bush setting or tropical jungle, especially in older movies. They are found in habitats ranging from humid forest to arid savannah, as well as in suburban areas with tall trees or near running water. Though they belong to the larger group  known as "kingfishers", kookaburras are not closely associated with water. Taxonomy. The genus "Dacelo" was introduced by English zoologist William Elford Leach in 1815. The type species is the laughing kookaburra. The name "Dacelo" is an anagram of "alcedo", the Latin word for a kingfisher. A molecular study published in 2017 found that the genus "Dacelo", as currently defined, is paraphyletic. The shovel-billed kookaburra in the monotypic genus "Clytoceyx" sits within "Dacelo". Classification and species. Four species of kookaburra can be found in Australia, New Guinea, and the Aru Islands. Kookaburras are sexually dimorphic. This is noticeable in the  blue-winged and the rufous-bellied, where males have blue tails and females have reddish-brown tails. Behaviour. Kookaburras are almost exclusively carnivorous, eating mice, snakes, insects, small reptiles, and the young of other birds; unlike many other kingfishers, they rarely eat fish, although they have been known to take goldfish from garden ponds. In zoos, they are usually fed food for birds of prey. The most social birds accept handouts and take meat from barbecues. Feeding kookaburras ground beef or pet food is not advised, as these do not include enough calcium and roughage. They are territorial, except for  the rufous-bellied, which often live with their young from the previous season. They often sing as a chorus to mark their territory. Conservation. All kookaburra species are listed as least concern. Australian law protects native birds, including kookaburras. In culture. The distinctive sound of the laughing kookaburra's call, which sounds like echoing human laughter, is widely used in filmmaking and television productions, as well as certain Disney theme-park attractions, regardless of African, Asian, or South American jungle settings. Kookaburras have also appeared in several video games, including ("Lineage II", "Battletoads", and "World of Warcraft") and at least  in one short story (Barry Wood's "Nowhere to Go"). Olly the Kookaburra was one of the three mascots chosen for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The other mascots were Millie the Echidna and Syd the Platypus. In William Arden's 1969 book, "The Mystery of the Laughing Shadow" (one of the Three Investigators series for young readers), the laughing kookaburra is integral to the plot. The children's television series "Splatalot!" includes an Australian character called "Kookaburra" (or "Kook"), whose costume includes decorative wings that recall the bird's plumage, and who is noted for his distinctive, high -pitched laugh. The call of a kookaburra nicknamed "Jacko" was for many years used as the morning opening theme by ABC radio stations, and for Radio Australia's overseas broadcasts. This was the basis for a book for children: Usage across sport. Yacht. The Australian 12-m yacht "Kookaburra III" lost the America's Cup in 1987. Hockey. The Australia men's national field hockey team is named after the kookaburra. They were world champions in field hockey in 1986, 2010 and 2014. Sports equipment company. Australian sports equipment company Kookaburra Sport is named after the bird.