ianmichaelthomas
A Teased Kookaburra
*** This is one photo of a sequence from Pund Bend, Warrandyte - please see my photostream for the rest of the series and sequence! ****
This beautiful bird was being teased by unthinking humans - people who don't normally come to the bush. I was amazed how tolerant this bird was.
I carefully framed the shots to exclude the many poking fingers and hands - that stupidly even poked this bird - how it didn't react by nipping them is beyond me!
The sequence of photos shows the bird turning its head to its agitators
An iconic Australian bird - The Laughing Kookaburra, Dacelo novaeguineae, is a familiar Australian carnivorous bird of the Kingfisher family, well known for its call. It is found throughout eastern Australia, and has been introduced into the south-west corner of Western Australia, Tasmania, Flinders Island, Kangaroo Island.
The Laughing Kookaburra is a handsome, stocky bird of about 45 cm in length, with a large head, a prominent brown eye, and a very large bill. The male can be easily distinguished from the female by the blue hues on his wing feathers and darker blue on his tail feathers. The female on the other hand has a small amount of aqua on her wing feathers, but no blue on her tail feathers.
Kookaburras occupy woodland territories (including forests) in loose family groups, and their laughter serves the same purpose as a great many other bird calls -- to demarcate territorial borders.
The "Laughing Kookaburra" is known by its name for its "laugh" which it uses to greet its mate after periods of absences. It can be heard at any time of day but most frequently shortly after dawn and especially when the colour drains from the forest after sunset.
One bird starts with a low, hiccupping chuckle, then throws its head back in raucous laughter: often several others join in. If a rival tribe is within earshot and replies, the whole family soon gathers to fill the bush with ringing laughter. Hearing kookaburras in full voice is one of the more extraordinary experiences of the Australian bush, something even locals cannot ignore; some visitors, unless forewarned, may find their call startling.
Kookaburras hunt much as other kingfishers (or indeed Australasian robins) do: by perching on a convenient branch or wire and waiting patiently for prey to pass by: mice and similar-sized small mammals, large insects, lizards, small birds and nestlings, and most famously, snakes. Small prey are preferred, but not infrequently do kookaburras take surprisingly large creatures, including venomous snakes a good deal longer than the bird itself.
Most species of Kookaburra tend to live in family units, with offspring helping the parents hunt and care for the next generation of offspring.
Warrandyte State Park, Victoria, Australia
A Teased Kookaburra
*** This is one photo of a sequence from Pund Bend, Warrandyte - please see my photostream for the rest of the series and sequence! ****
This beautiful bird was being teased by unthinking humans - people who don't normally come to the bush. I was amazed how tolerant this bird was.
I carefully framed the shots to exclude the many poking fingers and hands - that stupidly even poked this bird - how it didn't react by nipping them is beyond me!
The sequence of photos shows the bird turning its head to its agitators
An iconic Australian bird - The Laughing Kookaburra, Dacelo novaeguineae, is a familiar Australian carnivorous bird of the Kingfisher family, well known for its call. It is found throughout eastern Australia, and has been introduced into the south-west corner of Western Australia, Tasmania, Flinders Island, Kangaroo Island.
The Laughing Kookaburra is a handsome, stocky bird of about 45 cm in length, with a large head, a prominent brown eye, and a very large bill. The male can be easily distinguished from the female by the blue hues on his wing feathers and darker blue on his tail feathers. The female on the other hand has a small amount of aqua on her wing feathers, but no blue on her tail feathers.
Kookaburras occupy woodland territories (including forests) in loose family groups, and their laughter serves the same purpose as a great many other bird calls -- to demarcate territorial borders.
The "Laughing Kookaburra" is known by its name for its "laugh" which it uses to greet its mate after periods of absences. It can be heard at any time of day but most frequently shortly after dawn and especially when the colour drains from the forest after sunset.
One bird starts with a low, hiccupping chuckle, then throws its head back in raucous laughter: often several others join in. If a rival tribe is within earshot and replies, the whole family soon gathers to fill the bush with ringing laughter. Hearing kookaburras in full voice is one of the more extraordinary experiences of the Australian bush, something even locals cannot ignore; some visitors, unless forewarned, may find their call startling.
Kookaburras hunt much as other kingfishers (or indeed Australasian robins) do: by perching on a convenient branch or wire and waiting patiently for prey to pass by: mice and similar-sized small mammals, large insects, lizards, small birds and nestlings, and most famously, snakes. Small prey are preferred, but not infrequently do kookaburras take surprisingly large creatures, including venomous snakes a good deal longer than the bird itself.
Most species of Kookaburra tend to live in family units, with offspring helping the parents hunt and care for the next generation of offspring.
Warrandyte State Park, Victoria, Australia