The Australian Kookaburra belongs to the Kingfisher family of birds. The bird is also known as the laughing Kookaburra after its rolling laughter-like calls. It is mainly found in woodlands and forests but also inhabits the fringes of grass plains. In Australia, you will find the Kookaburra in the South Western and Eastern woodlands. Their habitat provides the ideal combination of a rich source of food and convenient nesting sites.
Like other birds in the Kingfisher family, Kookaburras are compact and have a plumpish disposition. The main difference between Kookaburras and other Kingfishers is their size – at 46 cm long, it is the largest kingfisher. The bird’s plumage comprises dark brown feathers on the upper body, white plumage on the underside and spotted gray-blue on the wings. They have a white strip of feathers that somewhat demarcates the head from the rest of the body.
The Kookaburra is a common feature in the legends of Australia’s Aborigines. The Aborigines trace the bird’s existence to what is referred to as the first sun rise. As the legend goes, it was during this first sunrise that the god Bayame commanded the Kookaburra to wake mankind with its distinct laughter. The Kookaburra still retains that role and is considered the Bushman’s clock.
At dusk as they return to their nests they let loose a chorus of wild laughter and as dawn breaks they wake everyone in the vicinity with the same wild call. As a further demonstration of the reverence the bird enjoyed in Aboriginal culture, children were warned never to insult the laughing bird – children that failed to do so had to live under the threat of growing a slanting extra tooth.
But apart from featuring in folklore, the Kookaburra’s call serves another important purpose – territorial marking. Unlike many other birds, the laughing Kookaburra does not have any set migration seasons. In fact, the Kookaburra can live in one area for its entire life and have only one mating partner for life. The laughing call is the Kookaburra’s way of alerting birds passing through or intending to nest in the area of where its territorial boundary lies.
Mating takes place from spring up to the middle of summer and is usually only between the dominant male and female of the group. The nests of the Kookaburra are in tree holes and hollow tree trunks. The female produces eggs that have a pure white color. Brooding lasts 25 days before the chicks hatch.
The laughing Kookaburra has a diverse carnivorous diet that includes lizards, small snakes, rodents, worms, fish and even the young of other birds. While hunting, the Kookaburra perches at a distance while keeping its prey in good view. It will wait for the opportune moment to strike at which point it flies down from its perch with its wings pointed back to increase the descent speed. The Kookaburra kills snakes and lizards by drop them from a great height or by dashing the reptile’s head against a rock.
As you plan your immigration to Australia, the laughing Kookaburra must be on your list of must see fauna.
Back to the Australian animals overview
References:
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/animals/TheLaughingKookaburra.htm
http://www.honoluluzoo.org/kookaburra.htm
