More about the kookaburra

There are two types of kookaburra in Australia: the laughing kookaburra and blue-winged kookaburra. They range between 40 and 45 cm in length and weigh approximately 340 grams, the weight of five or six boiled eggs.

Like its relative the Pied Kingfisher that lives in China, the kookaburra is a gregarious bird. It is also sociable, communal and can be tamed. Its beak, attractive feather markings and spiky tufts of hair on the back of its head are also reminiscent of the Chinese bird.

According to Aboriginal folklore, spirits from the sky asked the kookaburra to laugh his loudest just before sunrise to awaken everyone from their sleep so they could appreciate how beautiful the earth looks at first light.