BirdNote; Laughing Kookaburra

This is BirdNote!

[Laughing Kookaburra calls]

I bet you’ve heard this sound before, maybe on the soundtrack of a movie. [Laughing Kookaburra calls]

This oddly familiar crazed laughter belongs to the Laughing Kookaburra of Australia. [Laughing Kookaburra calls] Its exotic call has been a Hollywood standard for decades, that unseen creature lurking in the depths of the African jungle – or any jungle for that matter, in movies with heroes ranging from Tarzan to Indiana Jones.

But in reality, just what kind of birds are kookaburras? They’re hefty members of the kingfisher family, found primarily in Australia and New Guinea. The Laughing Kookaburra – one of four species of kookaburras – stands 18 inches tall and is the largest of all kingfishers. Unlike our familiar waterside kingfishers, kookaburras live in open woodlands and dive from branches to capture snakes, lizards, and mice.

The bird’s name, which imitates its raucous call, derives from an Australian aboriginal language, Wiradhuri (pronounced wee-rah-JOOR-ee). It’s also earned the names “bushman’s clock,” “breakfastbird,” and “alarmbird,” for its reliable habit of loudly ringing in the dawn. [Laughing Kookaburra calls]

Listeners support our show. Thank you! I’m Michael Stein.