Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus Dacelo native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around. The name is a loanword from Wiradjuriguuguubarra, onomatopoeic of its call. The loud distinctive call of the laughing kookaburra is widely used as a stock sound effect in situations that involve an Australian bush setting or tropical jungle, especially in older movies. They are found in habitats ranging from humid forest to arid savanna, as well as in suburban areas with tall trees or near running water. Even though they belong to the larger group known as "kingfishers", kookaburras are not closely associated with water.
Taxonomy
The genus Dacelo was introduced by the English zoologist William Elford Leach in 1815. The type species is the laughing kookaburra. The name Dacelo is an anagram of Alcedo, the Latin word for a kingfisher. A molecular study published in 2017 found that the genus Dacelo, as currently defined, is paraphyletic. The shovel-billed kookaburra in the monotypic genusClytoceyx sits within Dacelo.
Classification and species
Four species of kookaburra can be found in Australia, New Guinea, and the Aru Islands. Kookaburras are sexually dimorphic. This is noticeable in the blue-winged and the rufous-bellied, where males have blue tails and females have reddish-brown tails.
The single member of the genus Clytoceyx is commonly called the shovel-billed kookaburra.
Behaviour
Kookaburras are almost exclusively carnivorous, eating mice, snakes, insects, small reptiles, and the young of other birds; unlike many other kingfishers, they rarely eat fish, although they have been known to take goldfish from garden ponds. In zoos they are usually fed food for birds of prey. The most social birds will accept handouts and will take meat from barbecues. It is generally not advised to feed kookaburras ground beef or pet food, as these do not include enough calcium and roughage. They are territorial, except for the rufous-bellied, which often live with their young from the previous season. They often sing as a chorus to mark their territory.
Conservation
All kookaburra species are listed as Least Concern. Australian law protects native birds, including kookaburras.
In culture
The distinctive sound of the laughing kookaburra's call, which sounds like echoing human laughter, is widely used in filmmaking and television productions, as well as certain Disney theme park attractions, regardless of African, Asian and South American jungle settings. Kookaburras have also appeared in several video games, including and at least in one short story. Olly the Kookaburra was one of the three mascots chosen for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The other mascots were Millie the Echidna and Syd the Platypus. In William Arden's 1969 book, ,, the laughing kookaburra is integral to the plot. The children's television seriesSplatalot! includes an Australian character called "Kookaburra", whose costume includes decorative wings that recall the bird's plumage, and who is noted for his distinctive high-pitched laugh. The call of a kookaburra nicknamed "Jacko" was for many years used as the morning opening theme by ABCradio stations, and for Radio Australia's overseas broadcasts. This was the basis for a book for children:
The call can be heard in the Australian film True History of the Kelly Gang when Constable Fitzpatrick is investigating the first killings by the newly formed Kelly Gang.
Music
"Kookaburra ", a well-known children's song written in 1932 by Marion Sinclair.
The Kookaburras, an English band from the County Durham.
The lyric "... the Laughing Kookaburras call ..." appears in the song "Across the Hills of Home" on the album Something of Value by Eric Bogle
BFD Records and BFD Productions, which are the distributors and/or copyright holders of most of the garage rock and psychedelic rock compilation albums in the Pebbles series, have the address Kookaburra, Australia.
"Well the kookaburra laughed ..." appeared in the song "Old Man Emu" by John Williamson.
