# Kookaburra
A kookaburra is a large, terrestrial kingfisher of the genus *Dacelo* (family Alcedinidae), native to Australia and [New Guinea](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-guinea) and famous for a laughing territorial call most often heard at dawn and dusk. The best-known species, the [laughing kookaburra](https://www.edgepedia.org/laughing-kookaburra) (*Dacelo novaeguineae*), is the largest member of the kingfisher family and a familiar symbol of Australian birdlife.[1](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/) • [2](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/laughing-kookaburra) • [3](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/laughing-kookaburra)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Genus and family | *Dacelo* Leach, 1815, within the kingfisher family Alcedinidae, order Coraciiformes[1](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/) • [4](https://www.birdguides.com/Species-Guide/ioc/dacelo) |
| Species | Four species: laughing, blue-winged, spangled, and rufous-bellied kookaburras; the shovel-billed kookaburra (*Dacelo rex*, formerly *Clytoceyx rex*) is also placed in *Dacelo* by the HBW-BirdLife checklist[2](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/laughing-kookaburra) • [5](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683202A92978611.en) |
| Size of the laughing kookaburra | About 45 cm long and roughly 0.5 kg, with a large square head and a long, dagger-like beak[1](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/) |
| Breeding | Two to four pure white eggs laid about one day apart; incubation lasts 24 to 26 days[1](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/) |
| Social system | Cooperative breeding: the pair is assisted by helpers, usually offspring of the previous year[1](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/) • [6](https://fieldofmar-e.schools.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/birds/laughing-kookaburra-fact-sheet) |
| Conservation | Laughing kookaburra is IUCN Least Concern with a stable population trend[3](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/laughing-kookaburra) |
## Species and distribution
The genus contains four commonly recognized species: the laughing kookaburra, the blue-winged kookaburra (*Dacelo leachii*), the spangled kookaburra, and the rufous-bellied kookaburra.[2](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/laughing-kookaburra) The shovel-billed kookaburra of New Guinea, assessed by BirdLife as *Dacelo rex* (authority Sharpe, 1880, synonym *Clytoceyx rex*), is also placed in the genus in the HBW-BirdLife checklist.[5](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683202A92978611.en)
The laughing kookaburra is native to eastern Australia, from northern [Queensland](https://www.edgepedia.org/queensland) to Victoria, where it lives in eucalyptus forests, woodlands, open bushland, parks, and suburban gardens.[6](https://fieldofmar-e.schools.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/birds/laughing-kookaburra-fact-sheet) In its introduced range it has angered farmers by preying on fowl.[3](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/laughing-kookaburra)
The blue-winged kookaburra is sympatric with the laughing kookaburra in eastern Queensland, where the two closely related and ecologically similar species hold interspecific territories; a 2024 study documented interactions including wrestling and wing-flapping, and a laughing kookaburra has even been recorded assisting in raising blue-winged kookaburras' offspring.[7](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387180194_Scambler_Daly_2024-Interspecific_territoriality_between_Blue-winged_Kookaburras_Dacelo_leachii_and_Laughing_Kookaburras_D_novaeguineae_in_eastern_Queensland_with_observations_from_Magnetic_Island) • [8](https://afo.birdlife.org.au/afo/index.php/afo/article/view/2389) The two species differ visibly: the blue-winged kookaburra shows much stronger blue on the wings and rump and lacks the laughing kookaburra's strongly barred rufous tail.[9](https://birdguide.au/birds/laughing-kookaburra/)
## The laugh and other calls
The laughing kookaburra's song is commonly compared to a full, boisterous human laugh. It starts with a low chuckle, rises into a loud "ha ha ha", and falls back to a low chuckle; family members join in at different times, making the song seem to rise and fall. It is a communal call, usually heard in the early morning and early evening, and is given year-round, especially in the months before breeding.[1](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/) • [10](https://www.abc.net.au/science/archive/articles/2009/10/14/2712935.htm) The dawn and dusk chorus earned the bird the nickname "bushman's clock".[3](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/laughing-kookaburra)
The laugh song is a territorial proclamation. According to Sarah Legge, an Australian ecologist quoted by ABC Science, the point of the morning call is not entirely clear, but it is likely a message that the group survived the night and will defend its territory; calling frequency increases when nestlings fledge.[10](https://www.abc.net.au/science/archive/articles/2009/10/14/2712935.htm) Beyond the laugh, researchers distinguish six other calls: the chuckle, which advertises territory and helps find missing family members; the chuck, used in breeding; the squawk, used to beg for food or signal submission; the softer croon or soft squawk, used in courtship and to calm the breeding female; the cackle, which signals aggression and an imminent attack; and the kooaa, a year-round warning to the group.[1](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/) • [10](https://www.abc.net.au/science/archive/articles/2009/10/14/2712935.htm)
The two Australian species sound different. The blue-winged kookaburra's laugh song has been described as sounding maniacal or insane compared with the more jovial laughter of the laughing kookaburra.[10](https://www.abc.net.au/science/archive/articles/2009/10/14/2712935.htm)
The Darug people of the Sydney Basin call the laughing kookaburra guganigine.[6](https://fieldofmar-e.schools.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/birds/laughing-kookaburra-fact-sheet)
## Hunting and diet
Kookaburras are carnivores that hunt from a perch rather than over water, despite being kingfishers. The laughing kookaburra eats insects, worms, snakes, large lizards, snails, freshwater crayfish, frogs, small birds, and rodents, and it rarely catches fish.[1](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/) • [6](https://fieldofmar-e.schools.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/birds/laughing-kookaburra-fact-sheet) It sits quietly watching the ground, then swoops to seize prey with its strong beak, which can reach 4 inches long.[3](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/laughing-kookaburra) • [6](https://fieldofmar-e.schools.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/birds/laughing-kookaburra-fact-sheet) Larger prey is bashed against a branch or rock before being swallowed whole; a prominent bony ridge at the back of the skull and strong neck muscles aid in killing prey.[1](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/) • [6](https://fieldofmar-e.schools.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/birds/laughing-kookaburra-fact-sheet) This predation on snakes made the species useful to Australian colonists, and it helps control insect and small-animal populations.[1](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/) • [6](https://fieldofmar-e.schools.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/birds/laughing-kookaburra-fact-sheet)
## Social life and breeding
Kookaburras are territorial and non-migratory, occupying the same well-defined territory all year in groups of three or more: the breeding pair plus one or more helpers, typically young born the previous year, who assist with nesting duties and territory defense.[1](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/) Dominance within the family is settled by sparring, in which two birds grasp bills and twist until one is thrown off the perch or gives up; the breeding pair is always most dominant.[1](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/)
Breeding takes place in spring and summer. Nests are usually about 30 feet up, in tree hollows, termite mounds, or holes in soft wood; the female lays two to four pure white eggs about one day apart, and incubation lasts 24 to 26 days.[1](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/) • [6](https://fieldofmar-e.schools.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/birds/laughing-kookaburra-fact-sheet) Chicks hatch naked and blind, and both parents and helpers care for them; fledglings generally remain with their parents to help raise the next clutch.[1](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/) • [3](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/laughing-kookaburra) Sexual maturity is reached at one year.[1](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/)
## Longevity and conservation
Zoo survival statistics give maximum-life-expectancy estimates of 20.2 years for male and 18.2 years for female laughing kookaburras, consistent with the "up to 20 years" average life span in captivity reported by [National Geographic](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-geographic); in the wild they can live more than 15 years.[11](https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2332/survival_statistics_library_updated_september_2025.pdf) • [3](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/laughing-kookaburra) • [6](https://fieldofmar-e.schools.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/birds/laughing-kookaburra-fact-sheet)
The laughing kookaburra is listed as Least Concern with a stable population trend, and it adapts well to human development, often inhabiting suburban areas; it is known to steal food from picnics, sometimes snatching hot meat straight from the barbecue.[3](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/laughing-kookaburra) • [2](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/laughing-kookaburra) Habitat loss remains a primary threat, and abundance has dropped along the entire east coast of Australia; land clearing in Queensland and [New South Wales](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-south-wales) removes suitable habitat, control permits have been issued in [Victoria](https://www.edgepedia.org/victoria-state), and the species is labeled "exotic" in Tasmania and [Western Australia](https://www.edgepedia.org/western-australia), illustrating human-wildlife conflict around a familiar native bird.[3](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/laughing-kookaburra) • [12](https://library.dbca.wa.gov.au/FullTextFiles/072322.pdf) Because kookaburras nest in tree hollows, old trees are especially important to their conservation.[6](https://fieldofmar-e.schools.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/birds/laughing-kookaburra-fact-sheet)
## References
1. [Dacelo novaeguineae (laughing kookaburra), Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dacelo_novaeguineae/)
2. [Laughing Kookaburra, San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/laughing-kookaburra)
3. [Laughing Kookaburra, National Geographic](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/laughing-kookaburra)
4. [Dacelo, BirdGuides species guide (IOC taxonomy)](https://www.birdguides.com/Species-Guide/ioc/dacelo)
5. [Dacelo rex (Shovel-billed Kookaburra), IUCN Red List assessment](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683202A92978611.en)
6. [Laughing kookaburra fact sheet (guganigine), Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre](https://fieldofmar-e.schools.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/birds/laughing-kookaburra-fact-sheet)
7. [Scambler & Daly (2024). Interspecific territoriality between Blue-winged and Laughing Kookaburras in eastern Queensland](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387180194_Scambler_Daly_2024-Interspecific_territoriality_between_Blue-winged_Kookaburras_Dacelo_leachii_and_Laughing_Kookaburras_D_novaeguineae_in_eastern_Queensland_with_observations_from_Magnetic_Island)
8. [Frith. A Laughing Kookaburra assists in raising Blue-winged Kookaburras' offspring, Australian Field Ornithology](https://afo.birdlife.org.au/afo/index.php/afo/article/view/2389)
9. [Laughing Kookaburra, BirdGuide.au](https://birdguide.au/birds/laughing-kookaburra/)
10. [Kooaaa! It's a kookaburra!, ABC Science (14 October 2009)](https://www.abc.net.au/science/archive/articles/2009/10/14/2712935.htm)
11. [Survival Statistics Library, updated September 2025 (Species360)](https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2332/survival_statistics_library_updated_september_2025.pdf)
12. [The Laughing Kookaburra highlights human-wildlife conflict, DBCA library](https://library.dbca.wa.gov.au/FullTextFiles/072322.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Animals › Vertebrates › Birds › Bird taxonomy and systematics*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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