K for

K for Kookaburra

I told you I wasn't going to write about kangaroos and koalas.

The Kookaburra is one of my favourite birds. Mainly because they mate for life. I just love that about them, it's so beautiful.

The photo below was taken by me at our local national park, he was sitting there eyeing off our BBQ or more particularly the meat on the hot plate.

As a rule I don't feed the local wildlife. There is usually plenty of food for them in the bush but there is something thrilling about having a large bird of prey just taking food from your hand. So if I meet an amiable Kookaburra who doesn't snatch, I will offer a bit of raw meat as a token of good faith.

They are known as the laughing Kookaburra because of their unique call. It really does sound like a human laugh. If you've not heard it, have a look at this site, they have a sound file on there.

http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Dacelo-novaeguineae

They are not just out in the bush though, we have a couple of families living close to our house and the suburbs of Sydney are quite inundated with them. Their food of choice is small mammals or birds, frogs, lizards and snakes. I have seen a Kookaburra sitting on the overhead power lines concentrating on something on the ground. Suddenly it will swoop down and land on a snake, grabbing it in it's beak and smashing the snake into the ground until it is dead.

We even have a song about them, learned by every small child at their mother's knee (or other joints)

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

Merry merry king of the bush is he

laugh kookaburra, laugh kookaburra

gay your life must be.