Kookaburra, the bird that “laughs”: you won’t believe your ears!
Australia is fortunate, as the land is a home of one of the most exclusive inhabitants, The Laughing Bird called “Kookaburra”.
If there is one thing you notice when you arrive in Australia and maybe you are out for a walk under the beautiful sky of the southern hemisphere, it is the laughter of the Kookaburra (pronounced cucabarra) that will break the silence!
Thane Maynard – Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden presents one of the fascinating Aussie bird-videos known as‘The Laughing Bird.’
Courtesy: The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Listen To The Kookaburras Laugh, In This Video…
‘Belin’ is a celebrity Kookaburra bird that visitors to the San Diego Zoo love to hear him. When the visitors begin to produce a verse altogether, the kookaburra responds to them with its iconic, one-of-a-kind laugh. This video dates back to 2011 but has only recently gone viral.
What is Kookaburra?
It is a small bird that lives mostly in the area of Oceania and Southeast Asia, known for its strange sound that sounds like a laugh. It will make you smile and probably arouse doubt in you: is it someone laughing, or is there some other rare Australian animal that I didn’t know existed?
Crikey is a kookaburra bird, a delightful and cute little bird native to Australia and New Guinea comparable to our Kingfisher. It belongs to the same family. Also known as a giant king-hunter that laughs with visitors at the Zoo.
The kookaburra is one of the most famous birds in Australia because of its laughing chirp or call (voice). Its laughter resembles a castling song or the cry of a monkey or very similar to a human laugh, which makes it noticed. Perhaps this bird with a really large head has become one of the favourite Aussie symbols in the community with kangaroos, emu, and koalas.
In this video of the kookaburra, the laughing bird presented byCincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Thane Maynard, when we hear its song, it is indeed quite unusual. However, to listen to him, we have to show a little imagination. This bird sounds more like the screams of a Macaque (a monkey species) in the treble than a laugh.
Where Does The Name Kookaburra Come From?
Apparently, in the perfect Australian style, from the classic verse of this lovely bird, which is likewise a word that describes the cry of this bird. This is precisely the origin of the name Kookaburra: the indigenous Australian people Wiradjuri named it Guuguubarra, It sounds weird and funny, doesn’t it?
The sound of this bird is definitely among the most bizarre in the whole animal kingdom; the call it emits is very similar to our human-laugh. If you come to Australia one day, you will not escape the terrible Kookaburra and the contagious laugh! Don’t you believe it? Listen to ‘Kookaburra’ again 😀.
Why Does The Kookaburra Laugh?
The recent study carried out by an ornithologist says that the “laugh” seems to be related to the territorial system existing among the kookaburras. They occupy well-defined areas; Each bird in an area occupies an average of one hectare of land. Therefore a “family” composed of six birds can have an area of about seven hectares. The boundaries of these areas are established every year just before mating begins.
The “laugh” of the Kookaburra is a critical aspect of life. And it is a part of the warning system used by other various birds to tell others that they are invading an occupied area. Apart from giving vocal warnings, these birds fly accurately as they patrol the boundaries of their territory.
What Food Do Kookaburras Eat?
The kookaburra appears to be laughing, but it is a serious business for him to protect the territory where he gets his food. The kookaburra feeds on lizards, insects, small nest birds and their eggs, rodents, shrimp, frogs, snakes, etc.
The Family Life
The couple stays true for life (how romantic) and the male and female raise the little ones together (the perfect man, basically). Much less “blue flower”, the little chicks have a kind of peak on the tip of their beak, which is used in particular to pierce their eggshell to get out but also to kill their brothers and sisters if there is not enough food for everyone. Like what with our arguments at the table between brothers and sisters, we look like little players!
Interesting to know
Kookaburra is also targeted by predators. It has the natural ability to blend with the environment, to defend itself. And if the hawk or other birds of prey pass overhead, the kookaburra remains motionless, points its beak in the direction of the prey’s bird and rotates its entire body to follow the enemy bird’s flight until it does not disappear. This defensive manoeuvre serves to deceive the bird above, as Kookaburra appears to him like a stick.
So, in the end, the Kookaburras’ popularity, however, is due to its “laughter”. Of course, not all people like Kookaburras. After all, not everyone likes alarm clocks. And if your goldfish tank was looted or if it ate your chickens or ducks, how could you have a friendly spirit towards this bird? Or would you like to hear him beating his beak on a window glass early in the morning when he reminds you to bring him something out for breakfast? He is pretty cheeky.
But despite this unpleasant side of his reputation, perhaps Kookaburra reminds us of a few things. While not a sense of humour (which only humans have), this bird reminds us to use us and have a good laugh every now and then.
