Laughing Kookaburra

Photo by Neil Fifer
Newcastle, Australia, August 2003

Dacelo novaeguineae

Dacelo gigas

Identification

39–42 cm (15¼-16½ in)

• Off-white below with faint dark brown barring
• Brown on back and wings
• Rufous tail, broadly barred with black
• Dark brown eye-stripe
• Mottled blue on wings

Massive bill is 5-6 cm long.

Photo by Stephen Powell
Halls Gap, Australia, March 2013

Sexes similar

Distribution

Eastern Australia. Woodlands and open forest, Cape York Peninsula to Eyre Peninsula. Introduced and established in Tasmania and south-western Western Australia.

Taxonomy

Largest member of the kingfisher family Alcedinidae.

Subspecies

There are two subspecies^[1]:

• D. n. minor:

• North-eastern Australia (Cape York Peninsula south to Cooktown)

• D. n. novaeguineae:

• Eastern and south-eastern Australia; introduced Tasmania and south-western Australia

Habitat

Open forests and woodlands.

Behaviour

Diet

Includes insects, worms and crustaceans, small snakes, mammals, frogs and birds. Small food items are eaten whole, but larger prey is first killed by striking it against a hard surface.

Breeding

The nest is a bare chamber in a tree hollow or in a burrow excavated in a termite mound. Both sexes incubate the eggs and care for the young.

Vocalisation

Song: koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-kaa-kaa-kaa

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Trek Nature

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Laughing Kookaburra. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Laughing_Kookaburra

External Links

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