Laughing Kookaburra
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Alcedinidae
Genus/Species: Dacelo novaeguineae
Description: The Laughing Kookaburra is a thick-set bird with a large head,
short neck, and medium length tail. The bill is long, broad,
and somewhat flattened. The head is mostly white with a dark
brown crown and a brown stripe through the eye. The breast
is creamy white, the wings brown with blue mottling, the back
brown and the tail rufous with fine darker brown banding and
white edges. Males sport a small patch of blue-green feathers
in the center of the rump that is reduced or absent in the
female. The eyes are dark brown. The Kookaburra, at 47 cm
tall and 500 grams in weight, is one of the largest members
of the kingfisher family.
The most famous feature of the species is its loud, boisterous "laugh", a repeated "kook-kook-kook-ka-ka-ka" call that rises and falls in volume as family members join in to form a raucous chorus. Often heard at dawn in the bush, this call has provided the Laughing Kookaburra with another one of its colorful nicknames, "the Bushman's Clock."
Distribution and Habitat: The Laughing Kookaburra is native to eastern Australia but over the past century it has been introduced and established in other parts of the continent and on off shore islands such as Tasmania. The Kookaburra is a member of the subfamily Daceloninae, the forest or wood kingfishers. Species in this group are not restricted to riparian habitats and hunt primarily over land. They inhabit open woodlands, forests, orchards, parkland, partially timbered farmland, and even suburbs and towns.
Diet: Kingfishers employ a "sit and wait" technique of hunting, surveying their surroundings from an advantageous perch, then swooping down to seize their prey. Small prey are killed directly by the crushing action of the bill. Larger prey, including snakes of up to 1 meter in length, may be whacked repeatedly against a branch or dropped from a height until pulverized. Prey items include large insects, lizards, snakes, amphibians, small mammals, birds, and occasionally fish.
Reproduction: Kookaburras begin their breeding cycle in October, the Australian spring. Courtship includes vocalizations and conspicuous display flights high over the treetops. Once a pair selects a breeding territory they begin nest construction. Both male and female participate in excavating a nest burrow. In some parts of Australia termites construct enormous clay mound nests high in Acacia trees. These arboreal termite mounds seem to be the preferred nest site for Kookaburras and other kingfisher species. They will also utilize hollow trees, earthen banks, and even holes in walls when better sites are unavailable. Burrows may be two feet deep with an entrance hole four inches in diameter. Two to four white eggs are laid on the bare substrate of the nest chamber. Both parents participate in the 25- to 29-day incubation.
Hatchlings emerge blind and practically naked. The eyes may not open completely until the bird is nearly three weeks old. Parents feed the young a diet consisting primarily of insects, as they remain within the burrow for a full month. When they finally are coaxed from the nest they are already able to fly. The parents continue to feed the fledglings for several weeks after they emerge from the nest. The birds will remain together as a family group until the next breeding season begins.
References:
Austin, O. 1961. Birds of the World. Golden Press. New York.
Parry, V.A. 1972. Kookaburras. Taplinger Publishing Company, New York.
Pizzey, G. and R. Doyle. 1980. Birds of Australia.
Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.
