Laughing Kookaburra
Dacelo novaeguineae
Size: Birds Size: 45 cm
Family: Alcedinidae (Alcedinid Kingfishers, 10 species in Australia)
Distribution: Most of Eastern Australia plus small parts of WA and NT.
Status: Common
Habitat: Open forests, woodlands.
References: Simpson and Day, Reader's Digest
About the Laughing Kookaburra
One of the most famous of all Australian birds.
Very young kookaburras sound like what a baby dragon might sound like, and not like an adult kookaburra. As they grow older, their sound becomes ever-more like the familar "laugh" of the kookaburra.
Photo: West Head, Kuring-gai Chase National Park NSW.
Photo: Wentworth Falls, Blue Mountains NSW.
Photo: Australia Zoo QLD.
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW.
Photo: WIRES, Blue Mountains NSW. The photo shows a juvenile Laughing Kookaburra.
Artwork: John Gould, 'The Birds of Australia', 1848. Higher Resolution 682 x 1000.
See Also
Australian Mammals
Australian Reptiles
Australian Frogs
Australian Fish
Australian Spiders and Their Faces
Australian Wild Plant Foods
Return to Australian Birds
