Birds › Australian bush › Laughing Kookaburra

Laughing Kookaburra

Dacelo novaeguineae

One of the largest kingfishers in the world, yet it seldom eats fish. Young from earlier broods stay and help their parents raise the next chicks.

Where to see it for real: Leave logs and leaf litter for the lizards and insects it hunts. Raw mince is bad for it.

Spot it in the game

Lives in the Australian bush habitat (Eastern Australia, among gum trees).

Laughing Kookaburra facts

Family

Kingfishers

Length

17 in (43 cm)

Weight

12 oz (350 g)

Diet

Insects, worms, lizards, snakes, mice and small birds, caught by pouncing from a perch.

Range

Native to eastern Australia; introduced to the southwest, Tasmania and New Zealand.

Nest

An unlined hollow in a tree or a hole dug into a termite nest.

Song

A loud laughing chorus, "koo-koo-koo-ka-ka-ka", sung by family groups at dawn and dusk.

Active

at dawn, by day and at dusk

Status

Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: widespread and not at risk.

What the Laughing Kookaburra sounds like

How to attract the Laughing Kookaburra

Feeder foods, favorite first: mealworms. Feeders that hold them: platform feeder.

In the game: fill a feeder with mealworms. It is a common visitor.

More: bird songs and calls, what to feed birds.

More birds of the Australian bush

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