The all Australian bird with its famous laughing call which evokes images of the Aussie bush. Here in East Gippsland we have many of these friendly birds which can become very bold especially at BBq time. The laughing kookaburra belongs to the kingfisher family but unlike most kingfishers that are brightly coloured they are plain coloured. They are a stocky bird with a large head, big brown eyes and a large bill.
The laughing kookaburra is native to eastern Australia, with many similar species in Australia and overseas (the Kingfisher for one) the laughing kookaburra is perhaps the best known of this species.
Of medium size and happy to frequent back yards to feed on all sorts of goodies that cultivated gardens provide the Kookaburra can become a long term friend around the house.
Families are very territorial and will live in the same area for considerable time. The average lifespan of the laughing kookaburra is about 11-15 years in the wild and up to 15-20 years in captivity.
The average body length of the laughing kookaburra is 39 to 42 cms with the average weight being 196 to 465 grams. The females are slightly heavier than the males.
Their diet instead consists mainly of reptiles and rodents. They will eat snakes, lizards, mice, insects and small birds and their young. They hunt their prey by staying still on a branch or perch waiting for the prey to pass by. When the prey passes by they will swoop down and land next to it taking it in their bill. They will usually bang the prey against a branch to kill it and then will swallow it whole head first.
Kookaburras stay with their mate for life and will use the same nest hole in a tree trunk or arboreal termite nest year after year. Once they are ready to mate the male will feed the female for about six weeks before she will lay normally two or three the eggs. After an incubation period of 24 to 29 days the chicks will be born. The breeding pair are helped with incubating the eggs, keeping the chicks warm and feeding them by four or five of their grown young. They also help to defend the territory while the breeding pair are busy with the new chicks.
Kookaburras live in family groups, their laughter lets other birds know that this is their territory.
Offspring help their parents care and hunt for the next generation of kookaburras.
Their laugh can be heard at any time of the day but most after sunset to dusk or shortly after dawn. One of the birds will usually start with a bit of a chuckle and then erupts into a shrieking “laugh”, if a rival tribe is near the whole group will then join in to let them know that territory is taken.
Laughing kookaburras have different calls that they use for other things such as courtship, showing aggression, raising the alarm and begging for food.
Kookaburra love fresh meat and if you have a family in the neighbourhood they are adept at pinching meat off the BBq . One of our locals managed to grab a steak on one occasion that was already cooking on the hotplate.
Many locals feed this friendly bird to the extent that hand feeding is a morning ritual, but they should not be fed to the extent they don't have to forage for food.
Friendly, funny and great models for the budding photographer due to their changes in head position colour in their wings and almost hypnotic eyes. I love taking photos of them in any location.
Laughing Kookaburra
Scientific name: Dacelo novaeguineae
Conservation status: Lower risk
Information from TheAnimalFacts.com
Photos Copyright John Munns
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