Kookaburra - The Laughing Jackass

What IS this laughing jackass, as it was once called? It's no other than the laughing Kookaburra.

The Kookaburra (Dacelo Gigas) is a terrestrial kingfisher which lives in the woodland and open forests of Australia and Tasmania. It is a rather plain looking bird with a cream white head and a brown eye stripe. The back and wings are usually brown. The Kookaburra has a very a large head in comparison to it's body. An examination of the skeleton makes this size difference very apparent. The entire bird is approximately 18 inches long and weighs close to a pound. The Kookaburra has a large beak, like most kingfishers; but unlike most kingfishers, it doesn't catch fish. Its diet consists of lizards, mice, small birds, and an occasional snake. To kill prey, Kookaburras have been observed to take the catch high into the air and drop it, or smash it on a tree branch. Kookaburras get all the moisture they need from their food; therefore drinking is unnecessary. They build nests in hollow trees or a termite mound, which protects the nest from predators. Apparently, termites are a good thing to have if you are a kookaburra!

Kookaburras are monochromatic birds that mate for life. The breeding period of the Kookaburra is from September to January. Their eggs are about the same size as a bantam's and are pure white. The clutch size can vary from one to five eggs, but the most common numbers are two or four. The eggs are laid a day apart, and the incubation time is anywhere from 24 to 26 days. This gives the parents a break because the chicks hatch at these same intervals as well.

Kookaburras have an unusual method of parenting that many scientists find evolutionarily puzzling. When the young are reared and fledge, they tend to stay around the nest and help out the parents with the next clutch. This is in contrast with the majority of birds whose young leave the nest in search of mates and territory. The only other place in the animal kingdom that this "helping" is seen is with humans and primates. When this family system of chick rearing is in place, it is not unusual for there to be a second clutch laid in one season. In such a case, the "auxiliaries" take over the raising of the first brood, while the parents raise the second. In family groups, all members actually develop brood patches (bare spots of skin on the breast from which heat can flow from the warm bird to the eggs) and share in the incubation of the eggs. In some documented cases, the auxiliary birds spend more time incubating the eggs than one of the parents. I guess that's the price you have to pay for living at home in the bird world! If one parent dies, very often one of the helpers steps in and takes it's place with the remaining mate. An interesting study about acorn woodpeckers, which use this same cooperative breeding method, may help scientists understand this behavior in Kookaburras.

The kookaburra is probably most famous for its laugh. Many people around the world are familiar with it thanks to the efforts of Hollywood films which have the kookaburra laugh in the background noise of almost every jungle scene, be it the Amazon or the interior of Africa. The song is best described as a full-throated, boisterous laugh. The cycle starts with a low chuckle of repetitive "ooo" sounds lasting around two seconds. It rises in intensity to a loud laugh. Click here to hear this famous laugh. (Requires RealAudio but you can download the player FREE from this site also.)

Since the bird itself is well camouflaged, it communicates with other Kookaburras primarily by vocalizations. Its well developed laugh carries far into the woodland where others of it kind can hear it. Its call is not only used in courting rituals but also serves to lay claim to a territory. As stated above, its laugh has inspired mention in literature, songs, and poetry. Frank Halliwell has written one such poem about the Kookaburra.

The Kookaburra, familiar to us all through Hollywood films, is a fascinating bird. It's call has delighted (or annoyed!) listeners for decades. Not only is it a superbly vocal bird, but it has adapted to its environment in a host interesting and unusual ways. It has adapted to make the most of the food stuffs available and has come up with unique ways of killing it's prey. It has evolved puzzling, yet scientifically intriguing ways of rearing it's young. Kookaburras have even adapted to human presence and some have become tame enough to be hand fed. This laughing jackass is indeed a survivor.