Lifespan 10 to 15 years in the wild and 15 to 20 years under human care
Quick facts
Diet Invertebrates and small vertebrates
HabitatForests & woodlands
Range Australia
The Laughing Kookaburra
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Merry Merry King of the Bush
The cackle of the laughing kookaburra is an iconic sound of the dry eucalypt forests of eastern Australia at dawn and dusk. This ‘bushman’s alarm’ is a territorial call by the entire clan to warn rivals to stay away.
The sound is widely used in movies to evoke a jungle setting. Young kookaburras typically attend two weeks of singing lessons before they can produce a convincing laugh!
Australian Outback Symbol
The laughing kookaburra is the largest kingfisher but it mainly hunts reptiles, rodents and insects. Prey are usually bashed against a branch before being swallowed.
From eastern Australia, it has been introduced to Western Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand purportedly for its snake-killing skill. It is common even in Australia’s urban parks and is a tourism symbol of the Australian Outback.
