Laughing Kookaburra
Dacelo novaeguineae
The laughing kookaburra is a large kingfisher of eucalyptus woodlands, open forests, parks, and farmland in eastern Australia, with introduced populations in parts of Tasmania, Western Australia, and New Zealand. It hunts from a perch, dropping onto insects, lizards, small snakes, rodents, and other small animals before beating larger prey against a branch. Pairs and family groups defend territories with the famous rolling “laugh,” one of the best-known bird calls in Australia. Despite belonging to the kingfisher family, it is mostly a terrestrial hunter rather than a fish-catching water specialist.
- Type
- Wing
- Conservation status
- LC
Growth chain
- Laughing Kookaburra Chick
- ?
- Laughing Kookaburra