71 Laughing Kookaburra Facts: Diet, Lifespan, Habitat, And More

These birds are terrestrial tree kingfishers.

They weigh around 11oz (300 g). These birds grow between 11-19 in (28-47 cm).

'Bushman's alarm clock' is the nickname given to the laughing kookaburras. They have different calls to beg for food, show anger, courtship, and raise alarm. These laughs are heard after sunset and after dawn. Laughing kookaburras are a species of kingfishers. They are known to catch fish by diving into the water from tree limbs or perching on logs. They are distinguished by their unique voices which sound like they are laughing. The babies of laughing kookaburras are tended by multiple caregivers such as parents and elder siblings.

Facts About A Laughing Kookaburra

They have a distinct sound like monkeys. The young chicks of kookaburra are fed for 8- 12 weeks and then left to foray into the world.

Dacelo novaeguineae is the scientific name for the bird laughing kookaburra.

Laughing kookaburras belong to the subfamily of Halcyoninae.

Laughing kookaburras have a brown color eye stripe and a white head.

The upper parts of the head are dark brown in color.

On the wing, coverts are mottled light blue patches.

Laughing kookaburras have a varied diet.

They feed on mice, goldfish, snakes, lizards, worms, frogs, and insects.

They usually live in areas with more trees as they are known to perch on the branches.

They are mostly native to Australia and in particular Eastern Australia.

New Zealand, Tasmania, and Western Australia are also known to contain this blue-winged kookaburra.

Usually, their voices are used in movies for a jungle setting.

The sound of a laughing kookaburra is the most commonly used stock sound effect.

This sound is produced when multiple laughing kookaburras make voices together.

These birds are also found in southwest Australia and were introduced in the 19th century.

The laugh starts with a little chuckle by one kookaburra, and then a laugh erupts.

Laughing Kookaburra's Habitat

Kookaburras live in dense forests and make their home out of trees. They are found in many parts of Australia and also in urban areas. The Kookaburras are blue or brown in color. The males are usually blue in color.

The laughing kookaburras laugh together to let a rival tribe know that the territory is taken.

Their laughs are calls for different things.

They have a whitish head and the rest of the body is brown in color.

The male and female birds have the same plumage.

The laughing kookaburras are very friendly with humans.

They also eat food from people's hands and are not afraid to interact with them.

Kookaburras stay with one mate for their entire life.

A nest hole is made in the tree trunk and is used throughout the year.

An arboreal termite nest is used year after year and babies also live there.

They also live in jungles in northern Australia.

The Australian aboriginals named their call as the 'Bushman's alarm clock'.

They used their calls to recognize sunrise and sunset.

Dawn and dusk are the times the laughing kookaburra laugh the most.

Male kookaburras have blue tails.

Female kookaburras have red-brown tails.

In new guinea, Rufous-bellied kookaburras are found.

Their distinctive laugh is hard to miss among various noises in the night in the jungle.

Laughing Kookaburra's Diet

Kookaburras have a varied diet, which sometimes includes venomous snakes. Up to five fully grown adult kookaburras live with their parents to look after the newborn.

The laughing kookaburra mainly eats fish and mice.

A large variety of insects are also eaten by them, such as lizards, snakes, and worms.

They catch fish by diving into the garden ponds.

They build their nest in tree holes and are called territorial birds.

One to five eggs are laid by females at a time.

The small kookaburras live with their parents as a unit.

When they grow older, they along with parent birds take care of the baby kookaburras.

They are also found in Kangaroo Island and Flinders Island.

Dry Eucalyptus forests are also their home.

Urban gardens, parks, and woodlands are also some places where they are commonly found.

In the Australian Bush, hearing laughing kookaburras is an experience not to be missed.

Some kookaburra birds have blue-colored tail feathers.

It is rare to find a blue-winged kookaburra.

It is usually found in Northern Australia and is smaller than the usual laughing kookaburras.

The Laughing Kookaburras live in family groups.

If one member of the family starts calling, the other members also join in, and then ringing laughter fills the forest.

The laughing kookaburras stay in the same place throughout the year.

A male and a female, along with an offspring are present in family groups.

This offspring helps the parents in raising the newborn kids.

Laughing Kookaburra's Lifespan

These birds have a large population and their existence is not a concern according to the International Union of Conservation of Nature.

Small birds, mouse-sized mammals, and lizards are the diet of the kookaburra.

The life span of the kookaburra is 15-20 years.

At the age of 12 months, this Australian bird can start to mate.

Kookaburra chicks help their parents in raising young birds.

These birds start at the age of four months.

When the babies hatch they do not have feathers and their eyes are closed.

The laughing kookaburra has brown wings with a brown head.

The laughing kookaburra is one of the amazing animals present in the world.

Their mating rituals are similar to Wattlebird.

The female acts like a young bird with knees bent.

The male makes an 'ooo' sound when he spots a female.

The pair mates for life, and are monogamous, unlike other species.

Laughing kookaburras use their heads to break the tree hollows.

The tree hollows become the nest of laughing kookaburra.

In the year 1776, Pierre Sonnerat wrote about these birds in his book.

Their body mass is higher than that of a kingfisher bird.

The laughs of the bird are also an indication of social hierarchy.

From September to January, the communication increases due to the breeding season.