The Cincinnati Zoo’s Thane Maynard introduces one of Australia’s mascot animals, the Kookaburra. It’s call is super unique and it’s often said the kookaburra is laughing.
It may be fairly drab, but you won’t think the laughing kookaburra is ordinary after it opens its beak! The laughing kookaburra is known as the “bushman’s alarm clock” because it has a very loud call, usually performed by a family group at dawn and dusk, that sounds like a variety of trills, chortles, belly laughs, and hoots. The call starts and ends with a low chuckle and has a shrieking “laugh” in the middle.
Kookaburras mate for life and their babies stick around to help raise their subsequent siblings. They’ve also adapted to human communities, and are often willing to be hand-fed. Watch how this woman feeds a wild one on her deck in Belgrave, Melbourne Australia:
Curated, kid-friendly, independently-published. Support this mission by becoming a sustaining member today.