Laughing Kookaburra

by Kathy Kelly

Title

Laughing Kookaburra

Artist

Kathy Kelly

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

One of my favorite birds is the Laughing Kookaburra. It's native to Australia and New Guinea and has a call that sounds like fiendish laughter. Many people don't realize it but they probably have heard the laughing kookaburra’s song. It's call has been used as a sound effect in jungle movies for many years, where it sounds like a group of monkeys. Known as the “bushman’s alarm clock,” the kookaburra's call sounds like a variety of trills, chortles, belly laughs, and hoots. It starts and ends with a low chuckle and has a shrieking "laugh" in the middle. One can hear them usually very early in the morning and just after sunset. According to an Aboriginal legend, the laughing kookaburra’s song is a signal for the sky people to light the sun each morning.

Even though they are kingfishers, laughing kookaburras eat more insects, reptiles, frogs, and rodents than fish. They are also famous for eating snakes (even venomous ones) by grabbing them behind the head and smacking them on the ground. They will also drop snakes in midair onto the ground for tenderizing!

Laughing Kookaburras mate for life with the female usually bigger than the male. The bird prefers dry forests with streams but is also commonly found in backyards, parks, and gardens. Its population is stable in the wild and seems to thrive in the presence of humans. They are known to be very bold and will steal food from picnics, sometimes snatching hot meat straight from the barbecue!

This piece has been featured in the following FAA Groups and Contests:

Australian And New Zealand Nature And Flower Photography For You
Australian Outback
FAA Portraits - Birds
Australia In Pictures
A Birding Group - Wings

Contests
Laughter Photography - Third Place Winner

Uploaded

July 5th, 2018

Statistics

Viewed 501 Times  -  Last Visitor from Cambridge, MA on 04/26/2024 at 1:40 AM

Colors

Embed

Share

Sales Sheet

Tags