Kookaburra

 

This week’s bird is the kookaburra, which is a large, iconic bird native to Australia and famous for its loud laugh. It is part of the kingfisher family. It has a loud, cackling laugh often heard at dawn and dusk nicknamed the “bushman’s clock”

They are between 39-45cm’s in length and weigh between 370-450grm. Or 15-18 inches and 13-16 ounces.

What do they look like well they have a cream-white underparts, dark brown wings, reddish tail with black bars, and a prominent dark eye stripe.

They are native to eastern Australia; found in eucalyptus forests, woodlands, parks, and suburban gardens, their diet is carnivorous they feed on eats insects, small reptiles, rodents, and even snakes; uses a “wait-and-pounce” hunting method.

They are monogamous and territorial and make their nests in tree hollows or termite mounds and it isn’t uncommon for the young to stay with parents to help raise future chicks.

The kookaburra is deeply embedded in Australian culture, featured in children’s songs like “Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree.”

Its call is often used in movies and TV to evoke jungle or wild settings — even in places where kookaburras don’t live!

They typically live 10–15 years in the wild but can reach 20–25 years or more in captivity. Despite their resilience, kookaburras are sensitive to environmental changes. Conservation efforts that protect forests and nesting sites help ensure their survival in the wild.

In the northern part of the country there is a blue-winged kookaburra, which I know nothing about.