Laughing Kookaburra

Dacelo novaeguineae

The Australian kingfisher is a favourite in the backyard because it sings so happily it sounds like laughter - and quite loud. The happiness is contagious unless you are trying to take a nap in the afternoon or sleep a little later on the weekend. That's where a pair of old shoes come in handy.



He might be a kingfisher but he does not eat fish - not even on a Friday! We give them a little treat every now and then. This chap is tame enough to eat from Ellie's hand but not from mine. I put the minced meat down for him.


He pick's it up and treats it just like an insect or lizard he caught - it has to be killed first by...


.. banging it on the rail! Despite the fact that this picture was taken at one thousandth of a second, you can still see movement blur on his prey. He achieves this high speed by turning his head upside down and swinging it like a whip. Kookaburras have inner and outer eye lids. You can see the blue of the inner eye lid as he closed it for the whack.


After killing his prey, he lifts up his head and gulps it down. You can clearly see the inner eye lid closed as he enjoys his meal. Notice how he fluffed out his neck feathers.


After dinner, a little relaxation. You know he is relaxed when he fluffs out his feathers and looks twice his size. His not really that big otherwise he would not be able to fly.


Well can't sit around all day! When he leans forwards like that and folds back his body feathers, you know he is about to launch.


The following pictures were taken in the bush and not in our backyard.


The Kookaburra is a predatory kingfisher that eats other kingfishers instead of fish. The smaller blue kingfisher was caught and then whacked to death on a branch before being gulped down in one piece instead of breaking up because there were a number of other kookaburras around who would have loved to get hold of a piece of the feast.



Nature is not always cute. The lioness has to kill Bambi to feed her babies. It's "bird-eats-bird" world out there and a struggle for survival.



When it was all over, the mates joined in and they sang their song of laughter.



Do you want to hear him laugh? Click here for Youtube.