LAUGHING KOOKABURRA
Most of us know only too well the distinctive sound of the Kookaburra, it is usually the first to wake us up, and the last of the bird calls heard at sun down. It tilts its head upwards and the tail moves up and down when making this distinctive sound. Early settlers are said to have been very unnerved by this laugh in the forest, probably not knowing at first what made it.
The Kookaburra rarely eat fish as one might assume from its Kingfisher name, nor do they drink much water, being like raptors (birds of prey like eagles, owls) getting most of their moisture from the blood of their prey. They are not selective feeders, eating a high protein live diet of small snakes, lizards, rats, mice, snails, worms, grasshoppers, crickets, cicadas, beetles, caterpillars, ants, yabbies, crayfish, spiders, frogs, the odd small bird, various insects and invertebrates. They watch in silence from a vantage point in a tree, and then swoop down to catch the prey. They kill their prey by holding it in their strong beak, and beating it against a tree branch.
In favourable conditions they can live up to 20 years old or more, their birth rate is low to keep pace with the slow death rate and population turnover is very slow.
Kookaburras are great to have around as they will catch introduced pests such as mice, a good reason to use traps and not rat bait if you are experiencing an influx of mice. Many native animals die due to rat bait, they will not necessarily eat the bait, but they will most certainly eat a dying mouse or rat thus ingesting the poison. Kookaburras are great at pest control.
It can be tempting to feed these birds, but the problems with this practice are many, the wrong food is often provided thus resulting in the birds suffering from dietary deficiencies, deformed young, spreading of disease, overpopulation of particular species. They need whole live foods to get the calcium, proteins, minerals and fluids that they need to sustain healthy growth.
Identification
Plumage of both adults is similar except for the male having extensively more flecked blue feathers on the lower back and tail. Their large heads are off white marked with a dark brown stripe thru each eye to the center crown, mantle and wings dark brown, flecked light blue over shoulders, lower back and rump russet brown/black and tail same russet colour with black bands. Under parts entirely off white and faintly grey down the flanks, eyes are deep brown.
They have 3 toes forward and 1 backward with the 2nd and 3rd toes joined for most of their length. The fused toes help them in excavating nests, but make walking almost impossible so they hop/jump when on the ground.
Breeding
Kookaburras form permanent pairs and are very good parents, they are family oriented birds and form groups with usually one dominant breeding couple, other adult non-breeding birds (who share the load with incubation, baby sitting, feeding, teaching skills necessary for survival and defending territory boundaries), immature birds from previous broods and juveniles.
The adult non-breeding birds can be male or female, but not necessarily, progeny of the dominant pair. They co-exist in a strict hierarchy. As soon as non-dominant birds decide to challenge for a change in the status quo they are either subdued or forced to leave the group – the latter is most often the case.
Breeding takes place September-January and after a short courtship to renew their bond they clear out their nest usually situated in the hollow of a tree or any cavity large enough for the adults such as a termite mound (so once again leave those old limbs and hollows on trees). The nest will have a flattened entrance hole so that the chicks can reverse backwards and excrete over the side.
The female lay 1-4 white rounded eggs; incubation takes 24 days and feeding/ parental duties are done by the female and other group members. Fledging takes approximately 5 weeks and after they begin to fly the fledglings are still fed by the adults of the group for up to 13 weeks. Instead of being forced out of the territory, most stay to help their parents defend boundaries and protect further offspring.
Distribution
The Laughing Kookaburra is found on the east coast of Australia living in open forest, woodlands, and often seen in suburban gardens, but also south east South Australia with introduced colonies in southern Western Australia and Tasmania, living in open forests, Eucalypt woodlands and often seen in suburban parks, gardens, picnic grounds, schools and caravan parks due to human feeding. It is the largest of the Kingfisher family that has more than 80 species the world over, Australia is home to 10 species, the Laughing Kookaburra being one.
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