The Laughing Kookaburra (aka, ‘bushman’s alarm clock’ or ‘the laughing jackass’) is native to eastern Australia, with introduced populations in Tasmania, Flinders Island, Kangaroo Island and New Zealand. Its name comes from the traditional, Pama-Nyungan language of Aboriginal Wiradjuri people, ‘guuguubarra’. It is the largest member of the kingfisher family in the world, however, its diet is more like a bird of prey - exploiting a variety of food sources, including rodents, insects, reptiles, birds and snakes up to 1m long! They grab them behind the head and smack them on the ground, sometimes dropping them from midair for tenderizing! Parents often give their chicks small snakes for practice. They may be skilled hunters but kookaburras still have to worry about becoming the meal of large owls, eagles, hawks and falcons (and predators such as introduced foxes and cats). Its famous ‘laugh’ can be heard at any time of the day but is most often at dawn and dusk, to signal their territory to other birds. According to one indigenous Australian legend, the laughing kookaburra’s song is a signal for the sky people to light the sun each morning. They live in almost any area with trees big enough to contain their nests and open patches with sufficient hunting areas. Laughing kookaburras are a common sight in suburban gardens and urban settings and are so tame that they will often eat out of a person’s hand. It is not uncommon for kookaburras to snatch food out of people’s hands (or BBQ) without warning, by swooping in from a distance. They live in families, with siblings remaining in the family untill they are old enough to look after themselves, also acting as helpers during the breeding season. 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. Conservation Status: Least Concern.
