Good for a smile if not a laugh

   

Laughing Kookaburra  Dacelo novaeguinea

This is one of a family of three kookaburras that we can expect to visit most afternoons.  The purpose is for a hand-out of meat. Chunks of raw cat meat* are their favourite and preferred even above the occasional sacrificial offering of a plump red worm from the worm farm.

Turning up for a feed is serious business and not a time for laughing.  The distinctive chuckling is more commonly heard at dawn.  The 'here-I-am-waiting-to-be-fed' call is more of a soft, cajoling cluck. This bird has been frequenting our garden on and off for several years and will now confidently take food from our hands.  No matter what kind of day it's been, the arrival of the 'burras and their several hangers-on, the magpies, pee-wees and butcher-birds, is a sign that God's Still in His Heaven and All's Right with the World.

This one is the more common of the two varieties of Australian kookaburras, the largest in the kingfisher family, of which there are 11 species in this country.  The other kingfishers (mostly of the genera Alcedo and Halcyon) are more showy but less likely to be seen in urban environments. 

A few days ago I was interested to see photos of the Belted kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) posted and cross-referenced on two websites, Rurality and Dharma Bums.    This prompted a seach for them in my bird identification field guide.  There was no mention among the Australian birds, so clearly it is strictly a U.S. species.  I am curious about the similarity/difference in the Latin names though - Halcyon for the Australian species, but alcyon for the Belted kingfisher.

* In case this should be misconstrued, by this I mean the pet food intended for and labelled 'Cats', and available from supermarkets.

Comments

[Jean]

You mean you're buying cat food for the kookaburras? It must be very embarrassing for you to have the check-out person assume you're a cat owner.

Great photo. I have never known what they looked like, and had no idea they were part of the kingfisher family.

[pablo]

Honestly, it wouldn't bother me a bit if you were feeding actual cats to the birds. I think that sounds like a sensible solution to the problem of domesticus felinus. In fact, I'd gladly provide a cat for your larder.

Are your kookaburras underground cavity nesters? or do they build nests in tree branches?

[Tjilpi]

It has always struck me as odd that the iconic Australian bird, the kookaburra, is not to be found here in the Red Centre near the iconic Great Red Rock. Kangaroos and emus, yes; but not the bushman's alarm clock.

(Is that apostrophe in the right spot?)

[Ronni Bennett]

"Cat meat." Glad you cleared that up, Jude :-)

[Jude]

These birds nest in hollows in trees, Pablo. They particularly like old termite nests. For several years this family nested in a hollowed out termite nest in a tall eucalypt just beyond our boundary. We could watch them feeding their young and teaching them to fly. Alas, 2 years ago the nest came down in a storm, but they evidently found somewhere else.

Maybe no kookaburras, but what about other kingfishers in the Centre, Tj? My reference says you should have the red-backed kingfisher and possibly 'vagrant' sacred kingfishers. What is the bird-life like at Poeppel's Corner ????

[Tjilpi]

You're right about the presence of other kingfishers. The one I see most often is the Sacred Kingfisher - I'll have to get my books out to see about the red-backed kingfisher.

Didn't make it to Poeppel Corner this time - though I have been there before. Rain on this side made access to the desert hazardous. There is a great-grey-clay-basin on the western side of the Simpson which, when wet, sucks vehicles into it.

Of course birdlife on the Poeppel Corner side can be quite varied and numerous, especially in the vicinity of Birdsville!

[Rurality]

They do look like they should be related, don't they? Those big heads and beaks. Cool birds.

I've only seen Kookaburras once (in a pet store believe it or not)... but they are a lot louder than Kingfishers!