Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) Fact Sheet: Summary

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Coraciiformes (kingfishers, hoopoes, bee-eaters, hornbills, rollers)

Family: Alcedinidae (kingfishers)

Genus: Dacelo

Species: Dacelo novaeguineae (Laughing Kookaburra)

Subspecies: D. n. minor
Subspecies: D. n. novaeguineae

Body Weight
Male: 196-450 g (6.91-16 oz)
Female: 190-465 g (6.7-16.4 oz)

Body Length
41-45 cm (16-18 in)

Pelage
White head and chest. Dark crown and eyeband. Bluw spots on some wing feathers. Black bands across a reddish-brown tail.

Range
Native to Australia.
Introduced to parts of Australia and New Zealand.

Habitat
Eucalyptus forest and woodland; wooded and cleared farmland; other suburban areas or urbanized area with suitable vegetation.

IUCN Status
Least Concern (2016 assessment)

CITES Appendix
Not listed.

Population in Wild
Stable. An estimated 65 million individuals in 2009.

Locomotion
Relatively slow fliers. Feet relatively weak (while on tree branches/at nest).

Activity Cycle
Diurnal. Active during the day; roost an averag of 12 hours at night.

Social Groups
Cooperative breeders

Diet
Feed on animals on or near the ground. Specific diet varies by habitat.
Insects, spiders, small retiles, worms, crabs and crayfish, frogs, fish; less often snakes small mammals, birds.

Predators
Chicks preyed on by quolls, goannas, olive pythons.
Adults preyed on by by whistling kites and goshawks.
Other possible predators: greater gliders, possums, cats, foxes, phascogales (carnivorous marsupial), and many kinds of birds (butcher birds, ravens, magpies)

Sexual Maturity
Sexual maturity at 1 year; breeding usually delayed for several years.

Incubation period
About 25 days

Clutch Size
Usually 3 eggs (range 1-5)

Interval between eggs being laid
1-2 days, up to 4 days

Age at Fledging
33-39 days

Typical Life Expectancy
Wild populations: about 12 to 13 years
Managed care: median life expectancy of about 18 years

Feature Facts

• Laughing Kookaburras call in a group to advertise their presence as territory holders
• Complex social lives; breeding pairs assisted by up to 6 "helper birds"
• Breeding pairs stay together for many years
• Need large trees with hollows for nesting
• Chicks are aggressive, even to siblings
• Kookaburra beat their prey against branches or the ground to immobilize it
• Adult koookaburras can eat venemous snakes