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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
laughing
kookaburra, kookaburra |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Coraciiformes |
| FAMILY: |
Alcedinidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Dacelo
(an anagram of alcedo - a kingfisher ) novaeguineae
(from New Guinea) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
The
laughing kookaburra is the largest of the kingfishers.
It has a large bill that has a black upper mandible
(top beak), and a tan lower mandible. The laughing
kookaburra also has a white belly, a whitish head,
brown wings, a brown back and dark brown eye-stripes. |
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| SIZE: |
Up
to 45 cm (18 in.) in length |
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| DIET: |
Carnivorous;
eats insects, amphibians, small reptiles, and crabs |
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| INCUBATION: |
Approximately
20-22 days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
2-3
eggs |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
12 months |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Averages
15 years |
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| RANGE: |
Eastern
Australia and Tasmania |
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| HABITAT: |
Primarily
forests |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
The
laughing kookaburra got its common name from the
loud territorial sound that it makes. The calls
are often mistaken for many different animals, such
as donkeys or monkeys. |
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| 2. |
In
many of the old Tarzan movies, the jungle sounds
were often recordings of the laughing kookaburra
call, which lives nowhere near Africa. |
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| 3. |
Laughing
kookaburras are the largest member of the kingfisher
family. Members of the kingfisher family are found
all over the world and are some of the only bird
species known to be able to hover. |
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| 4. |
Laughing
kookaburras have a complex social structure. A pair
may remain in a semi-monogamous relationship with
helpers to assist with the care of the young. These
helpers may be young from a previous mating who
are learning parental care while helping their parents,
or they could also be an unrelated pair who is waiting
for a shot at the territory. |
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Laughing
kookaburras are fairly adaptable in their habitat
but they do require forest areas for finding food
and nesting. They benefit from living within Australia,
a country that has some of the strictest animal
control laws in the world. The habitats, however,
are not as strongly protected as the animals.
As
small carnivores, kookaburras play an integral
role in the ecosystem by controlling small animal
populations.
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|
|
| Gotch,
A.F. Birds: Their Latin Names Explained.
Poole: Blandford Press, 1981. |
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|
Harrison,
C.J.O., and Perrins, C. Birds: Their Life,
their Ways, their World. New York: Reader's
Digest Association, Inc., 1987.
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| Macdonald,
J.D. Birds of Australia. Sydney: A.H. &
A.W. Reed PTY Ltd., 1973. |
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| Perrins,
C. M. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds.
New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1990. |
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| http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/laughing_kookaburra.htm |
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| http://www.honoluluzoo.org/kookaburra.htm |
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