Laughing Kookaburra

One of Australia's most recognised birds, with that distinctive laugh which is so special and unique. Their laugh and chuckles are used to signal their territory to other birds.

Kookaburra's can live for more than 20 years in the right environment, and have the same partner for life ♥

They are found in any area with trees big enough to contain their nests and open patches for hunting. Their nests are created in any hole which is big enough to fit an adult, such as tree hollows. They lay between one and four eggs between August to January and the chicks are cared for by both parents, and the offspring of the previous one to two years, usually act as 'helpers'.

Kookaburra are not selective feeders. They feed on a wide range of items depending on what is available. They eat snakes, lizards, small mammals, frogs, rodents, bugs, beetles and worms. Large food sources are often bashed against rocks or trees to kill and soften them before being swallowed. There are videos on various social media channels that show how easily a kookaburra can swallow a rat whole. As a carnivore, the Kookaburra plays an important role in keeping the ecosystem balanced and healthy by controlling pest and insect populations from becoming too large.

To help protect the Kookaburra, while it is still common:

• Retain as many trees as possible to ensure they have somewhere to nest and roost.

• Planting native species will ensure they will have habitat in the future.

• Reduce (preferably eliminate) the use of chemicals, such as insecticides and pesticides in your garden as Kookaburras eat insects and rodents affected by them which can then make them sick, or kill them.

• Mulching your garden with leaf litter can create a perfect habitat for worms, insects and lizards which Kookaburras love to feed on.

Kookaburra - Photo by Adam Stevenson

Adam Stevenson took this photograph after the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires. "As we were on the way back home we spotted the kookaburra sitting in the tree laughing. I decided to take a photograph. The bird let me walk right up to it, snapping away on my iPhone. It was looking at me as if to say: “There’s nothing you can do that is any worse than what sits in front of us.’ We both watched the sun setting over the apocalyptic landscape."