Click on image to hear call

The Laughing Kookaburras is the largest member of the kingfisher family. They are sedentary, occupying the same territory throughout the year, nesting in large holes in tree trunks or branches. They feed (using perch-and-pounce techniques) on insects and other invertebrates, as well as lizards and snakes.

Kookaburras prefer open forest and woodland and are quite common in suburbs bordering Canberra Nature Parks. They are easily seen and have the most distinctive and well-known call of any Australian bird. Observations are frequently of family groups.

Numbers are highest in August and February and lowest in November and May. The low spring and early summer numbers are probably due to birds breeding and moving away from suburbs to the bush, or even birds on nests not being counted. The April to June decline could be from dispersal of young birds, although many young remain with their parents for some years.

Laughing Kookaburras were reported from three-quarters of the survey sites, in each year of the survey and generally in groups of two. The survey shows a clear but slightly uneven decline in numbers; the reason for this is unknown. Breeding records have declined also, from 13 in the first eight years of the survey (four from one site in Ainslie) to five in the last ten years. The breeding period is long, with birds seen inspecting hollows from mid-July. There are records of dependent young from the end of November until the end of April. R=21. BR=27.
   Home | The Survey | Weather | The Birds | The Book | Bird Gardens | COG Website | Site Map

Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy | Contact COG