Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree

Posted by Helen (Melbourne, Australia) on 13 July 2008 in Animal & Insect.

This merry, merry king of the bush was just as interested in looking at me as I was looking at him. He had just dug a worm up out of the ground.

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Comments (8)

djedfre from schaumburg, United States

great capture!
he looks kind of tough... i think he could use a little bill work!
(always wondered what they looked like...)

13 Jul 2008 6:58am

@djedfre: You are right, kookas are tough. He had just been hunting in the typical Kookaburra style. He froze on the branch, eyed off his prey then pounced. He then flew back to the branch and proceeded to thrash it to death on the branch before eating it. (Given it was a worm, he didn't do too much thrashing).

Cheryl from Texas, United States

what a cute little bird! nice capture!!

13 Jul 2008 1:21pm

@Cheryl: This cute little Laughing Kookaburra is a young adult I think. He look fresh and young but is sporting adult plumage. Kookaburras are the largest of the kingfisher family and are quite a solid bird. About the size of a very solid seagull.

zOOm from Paris, France

How cute ! :-)

13 Jul 2008 4:51pm

@zOOm: Kookaburras have earned quite a deal of respect. Just look at that beak! They feed on snakes, lizards and small rats if possible, but will resort to insects and worms if need be. You need to be alert if they are around at bush BBQs because they swoop and snatch the meat right out of your hand!

Viewfinder from Bradenton, United States

I love this photo. And especially your reference to the lyrics of that great little song. My wife often used to sing it when our children were small. And to me, for some reason it always made us laugh.

14 Jul 2008 1:15am