Facts about Laughing Kookaburra
The Laughing Kookaburra is an Australian carnivorous bird in the Kingfisher family. The Laughing Kookaburra is well known for its laughing call. It uses its laugh to greet its mate after periods of absences. Kookaburras occupy woodland territories (including forests) in loose family groups, and their laughter serves the same purpose as a great many other bird calls -- to demarcate territorial borders. It's laugh can be heard at any time of day but most frequently shortly after dawn and especially when the color drains from the forest after sunset. During mating season, the Laughing Kookaburra indulges in behaviour similar to that of a Wattle Bird. The female adopts a begging posture and vocalises like a young bird. The male then offers her his current catch accompanied with an "oo oo oo" sound. Most species of Kookaburra tend to live in family units, with offspring helping the parents hunt and care for the next generation of offspring. This bird was reviously known as the Laughing Jackass and Giant Kingfisher. The Laughing Kookaburra is a stocky bird of about 45 cm (18 in) in length, with a large head, a prominent brown eye, and a very large bill. The breeding season of Laughing Kookaburra starts around October/November. If the first clutch fails, they will continue breeding into the summer months. The "Laughing Kookaburra" is known by its name for its "laugh". The Laughing Kookaburra was first described by French naturalist Johann Hermann in 1783. Common prey of Laughing Kookaburras includes mice and similar-sized small mammals, large insects, lizards, small birds and nestlings, and most famously, snakes. Small prey are preferred, but not infrequently do kookaburras take surprisingly large creatures, including venomous snakes a good deal longer than the bird itself. Their tail is rusty reddish-orange with dark brown bars and white tips on the feathers. Their chicks have a hook on the upper mandible, which disappears by the time of fledging. This hook can act as a lethal weapon because if the food supply to the chicks is not adequate the chicks will quarrel and the hook can be used as a weapon and the smallest chick can be killed by its larger siblings. Their laugh begins when one bird starts with a low, hiccupping chuckle, then throws its head back in raucous laughter: often several others join in. If a rival tribe is within earshot and replies, the whole family soon gathers to fill the bush with ringing laughter. Hearing kookaburras in full voice is one of the more extraordinary experiences of the Australian bush, something even locals cannot ignore; some visitors, unless forewarned, may find their call startling. These birds hunt by perching on a convenient branch or wire and waiting patiently for prey to pass by. They generally lay three eggs at about two day intervals. If the food supply is not adequate the third egg will be smaller and the third chick will also be smaller and at a disadvantage to its larger siblings. |
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