KOOKABURRAS THE LAUGHING JACKASS/ Erakina

Kookaburras are members of tree kingfisher family with large heads and beaks.

They are specially known for their loud laughter which sounds like human laughter. They are endemic to eeastern Australia. They are approximately 28 to 45 cm long and weighs about 0.5 kg.their eak is about 10cm long. Females weighs slightly larger than male kookaburras. They have distinctive brown eyes and stripes across its face and a fainter brown shade of stripes on top of the head. The lower plumage is off white in colour.

Habitat of kookaburras:

Kookaburras make their homes in dry Eucalyptus forests, woodlands , city parks and gardens. They can also be watched when growing food from the hands of humans. They are quite happy to interact with human beings.

What do they feed on ?

Kookaburras are extremely carnivorous. They feed on mice, snakes, yabbies, insects, small reptiles and young birds. They also feed on chicken and ducklings. 

Kookaburras- reproduction 

They are monogamous. They have only one spouse throughout their life. The female lays upto 3 eggs . with a 2 days difference gap. The first egg laid in the clutch will e male and the 2nd will e male. The chance of survival of the 3rd one is very less because, first two will kill the third one for more food. The probability of the third one surviving is less than 50%. Eggs incubate for 24-26 days. The chicks are born blind and  naked without any feathers.  They don’t fly after growing up but stay with parents and help to defend their territory.

More interesting things of kookaburras:

• They don’t drink much water because they get everything they need through food they eat. Kookaburras love to bathe in water.
• A group of kookaburras is called” riot of kookaburras”
• kookaburras are very slow birds. They fly slowly to save their energy.
• Kookaburras lowers their metabolism and temperature during nights.
• Feathers are thicker about 25% than any other bird which give them insulation.
• In many of old tarzan movies jungle sounds were often recordings of laughing of kookaburras

What is special about sounds of kookaburras?

They sound similar to human laughs. Technically they arent laughing while making that sounds but communicationg with their fellow buddies. Generally kookaburras are communal. To establish the family within territory, and warm off other kookaburras they sound vigoursly. Next if anyone of you notice kookaburras making calls try to observe them. They are very intersting creatures.

These kookaburras even though aggressive they are facing prolem to survive. Major threat for their survival is habitat lose due to destruction of eucaplyptus forests. And the other reason is since kookaburras are slow flying birds most of the birds are getting trapped in forest fires which became common disasters. Kookaburras are friends of human beings. They eat snakes, lizards and mostly dont trouble human beings. If anyone is gets intereted about these birds and willing to pet them , we are sorry. It is illegal to keep a kookaburra as a pet.

CHANDANA.THURIMELLA

Content Writer (Erakina by RTMN)

28/11/2021.