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Laughing Kookaburra Facts & Worksheets

The Laughing Kookaburra is originally from the eastern mainland of Australia.

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The Laughing Kookaburra is originally from the eastern mainland of Australia. They have also been introduced in New Zealand, Tasmania, and western Australia.

See the fact file below for more information on the Laughing Kookaburra or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Laughing Kookaburra worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

DESCRIPTION AND BEHAVIOUR OF THE LAUGHING KOOKABURRA

  • These birds are colored with a blend of brown and white feathers. They have a light beige or white head with a brown eye stripe.
  • Laughing Kookaburras have a large and thick bill with a small hook on the end. This large bill is what they use to attack their prey.
  • A male Laughing Kookaburra typically has more blue coloring on its backside than a female.
  • Both males and females have a red tail with with white tips. The female is often larger than the male.
  • These birds are known for making an extraordinary laugh, hence their name. This laugh is often made by multiple birds at the same time as a way of confirming their territory.
  • The Laughing Kookaburra is a monogamous species, keeping the same partner for life. They share responsibilities for maintaining their territory.
  • These birds are classified as carnivores because they only eat meat.
  • A Laughing Kookaburra can live up to 20 years.
  • It takes 33-39 days for a Laughing Kookaburra egg to hatch.
  • The Laughing Kookaburra catches its prey by dropping straight down onto them and stunning them.
  • The Laughing Kookaburra is the largest of the Kingfisher bird family.

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Although small in size, the Laughing Kookaburra eats a wide variety of small animals including: worms, snakes, mice, and lizards.
  • In May 2020 an Australian man named Farvardin Daliri designed and created a 13 ft tall, 1600 lb Laughing Kookaburra sculpture.

HABITAT AND HISTORY OF THE LAUGHING KOOKABURRA

  • The Laughing Kookaburra lives in woodlands, parks, gardens, and eucalyptus forests.
  • Unlike migratory birds, the Laughing Kookaburra is a sedentary bird and stays in the same place all year round.
  • This bird is in the Kingfisher subfamily called Halcyoninae.
  • The population of the Laughing Kookaburra in the wild is currently stable and thriving.
  • The first description and illustration of a Laughing Kookaburra was published in 1776 by French explorer Pierre Sonnerat.
  • In 1926 the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union formally named the bird the Laughing Kookaburra.
  • There are believed to be more 60 million Laughing Kookaburras in the wild.
  • The Laughing Kookaburra prefers to live close to a water source.
  • These birds can be found in urban settings.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

  • The Laughing Kookaburra has great cultural significance in Australia and is one of their most well known animals.
  • At the Olympic Games in Sydney (2000), a Laughing Kookaburra named Olly was one of the three mascots.
  • In one legend from Australian Aboriginals, the morning laughter of the Laughing Kookaburra was a sign to the people in the sky to start the day by lighting a fire to warm and lighten the Earth.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LAUGHING KOOKABURRA

  • The famous “laugh”  of the Laughing Kookaburra starts out as a piercing sound which turns into a sharp laugh followed by a low chuckle. It has been said to sound like a human laugh.
  • The Laughing Kookaburra does the majority of its calling during dawn and dusk. They are known to be very noisy birds.
  • Kookaburra chicks hatch without feathers and with their eyes closed. They are known to be aggressive from birth.
  • Offspring in a Laughing Kookaburra family will stay with their parents for four years before leaving to start families of their own. They work together to help their parents raise their new offspring.
  • A Laughing Kookaburra can grow from 15 to 16.5 inches in length.
  • Laughing Kookaburras are family-oriented birds who live in a strict hierarchy.
  • Laughing Kookaburras breed from August to January.
  • Laughing Kookaburras have great vision which helps them to spot their prey from far distances. They usually watch their prey from tall trees.
  • Females will lay one to five different eggs at a time.
  • Laughing Kookaburras make their nests inside holes of tree trunks. They often use dead or rotting wood to make a nest.
  • Predators of the Laughing Kookaburra include large owls, eagles, hawks, and falcons.
  • These birds like to perch in large trees so that they can keep watch.
  • Parent birds give their chicks small snakes so they can learn how to handle their prey.
  • There are an estimated sixty million Laughing Kookaburras in the wild.

Laughing Kookaburra Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Laughing Kookaburra across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Laughing Kookaburra worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Laughing Kookaburra which is originally from the eastern mainland of Australia. They have also been introduced in New Zealand, Tasmania, and western Australia.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Laughing Kookaburra Facts
  • Fact or Myth?
  • Predator or Prey?
  • Bird Songs
  • Laughing Kookaburra Crossword
  • Flash Report
  • Laughing Wordsearch
  • Bird Brain Word Scramble
  • Fill in the Blank
  • Birds of a Feather
  • Olympic Poster Design

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Link will appear as Laughing Kookaburra Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 4, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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