Kookaburra(Modern+Animal)


 * Archaeopteryx (Fossil Animal) || Brown Kookaburra (Future Animal) ||

=Laughing Kookaburra= Rachel Li 10C ==

The Laughing Kookaburra, also called //Dacelo novaeguineae// is one of the most famous animals in Australia, and was first recognized by the Aboriginals. The are found in Australia, New Zealand and Tazmania and they live in dry places such as woodlands, and urban parks. Though the Kookaburras are from the Kingfisher family are have been known to be the largest of the family they are not brightly coloured like others from the family, and they do not eat fish. The Kookaburras have adapted very well to the changing society, and so they are not one of the endangered birds.

The word //Dacelo// means Kookaburra in Latin, and //Novaeguineae// means New Guinea, the Kookaburra was once called the Giant Kingfisher and Laughing Jackass. They have been called the Laughing Kookaburra because of their famous laugh that sounds like a human laugh, and this has also been considered as the bushman's alarm.


 * **Level** || **Classification** ||
 * Kingdom || Animalia ||
 * Phylum || Chordata ||
 * Class || Aves ||
 * Order || Coraciiformes ||
 * Family || Halcyonidae ||
 * Genus || Dacelo ||
 * Species || D. novaeguineae ||


 * [[image:image6_Diagram.jpg width="547" height="366"]] ||
 * **Diagram 1: Kookaburra features**
 * Source (Photo Only):** [] ||

**Adaptations**
The hardest part of the Kookaburra would be its beak, and it is very important to the Kookaburra as it helps them catch prey and build a nest. It is sharp and dagger shaped and is brown in colour which helps it camouflage in the trees as it waits for its prey. When a Kookaburra comes across small prey, the beak will allow them to easily catch and eat it, and scince the prey is so small, the beak also makes it easier for the Kookaburra to handle it, but when the Kookaburra comes across large prey, such as snakes, they cannot catch and eat the prey immediately so they will have to use another method. The Kookaburra also uses the beak to pick up small things such as twigs, and they use these to build nests.
 * Structural Adaptation One**

Besides the beak, the second most important structural adaptation would be its feet. Kookaburras may spend lots of hours on the branch of a tree, waiting for their prey as it is not always there for them, and so they need very strong feet to allow them to stand that long. Due to the fact that their legs are quite skinny and therefore not very strong, they have their toes stuck together to strengthen their feet so that they can hold on tight.
 * Structural Adaptation Two**

Unlike others from the Kingfisher family, Kookaburras are not brightly coloured. The Laughing Kookaburra has some blue on its wings, but not as much as the Blue-Winged Kookaburra, the main colour of the Laughing Kookaburra's fur is just brown and white with a few dashes of blue on the wings. This was developed to help them blend in with the brown tree trunks and branches so that they can hide while they wait for their prey, and this adaptation was also to help them camoflauge from predators.
 * Structural Adaptation Three**

**Behavioral Adaptations One** Kookaburras have always been known for their famous call which sounds like a laugh and this is no ordinary laugh, as it can travel long distances. The call starts and ends with a low chuckle, and in the middle is a big "laugh" and these laughs are normaly performed as a family group. Kookaburras do not call for nothing, they do this for many reasons, long and short laughs also mean different things. Normally, they call to show that this is their territory and to show where the boundaries are. Laughing Kookaburras use short calls to communicate with eachother and show emotions, some examples are: begging for food, showing aggresion and raising an alarm for danger (e.g. when they see predators).

Unlike others from the kingfisher family, Kookaburras eat reptiles and rodents instead of fish, and they do this in a specific way. Kookaburras are able to hold on to a branch for long hours as they wait for prey, and during that time, they can keep perfectly still so they prey will not see them easily. When the Kookaburra sees its prey, they will swoop down and catch it with its beak and take it back to its nest. When the prey is small, they will eat it straight away, but if the prey is large, such as a snake, they will either throw them from height or hit them against a tree in order to kill it before eating.
 * Behavioral Adaptation Two**


 * Habitat **

Kookaburras were originally only found in Eastern Australia, but over many years, Kookaburras have also been introduced to Parts of Western Australia, New Zeland and Tasmania. They have been known to be seen and heard in the busy cities, but most live in the bushlands, park lands and rainforests of Australia. They mainly live on trees, especially eucalyptus trees and they also build their nests there.
 * Distribution **

Kookaburras have adapted to the Australian environment well and have learnt to live with humans, though in some cases humans may have done certains things that have put Kookaburras in danger, such as cutting down trees, causing many Kookaburras to become homeless. Since the territory of the Kookaburras may be very big, the Kookaburras need to communicate over long distances, and their loud and unique call has helped them do so.

Kookaburras live in trees and spend most of the time perching on trees, they also use them as a tool when it comes to killing large prey such as snakes. The main trees that Kookaburras live on are the gum tree and eucalyptus tree, both very famous in Australia. Kookaburras spend lots of their time around trees, so they have developed many adaptations to help them, such as their toes being stuck together to make their feet stronger in order to help them hold on to branches, and their brown feathers have helped them hide from both predators and prey.
 * Plants**

Kookaburras are quite different to other kingfishers, as they don't eat fish and certain insects such as spiders. The the Kookaburras of the wild mainly lizards, snakes, insects, mice, chicks, and raw meat. Though lots of the Kookaburra's prey are animals and insects, they do play a big part in controlling th population of small animals. Kookaburras have been known to be very close to humans, and humans also enjoy having Kookaburras around, but because of this, many humans are feeding food to Kookaburras, causing them to rely on humans for food, and when humans are not providing food, they may suffer from nutritional deficiencies or developmental abnormalities.
 * Prey/Diet**

As it has been stated above, the Kookaburra uses its strong beak to help it catch and kill prey. Without its strong beak, it would not be able to carry such heavy prey and hit it against hard objects such as trees. The Kookaburras prey is not always there for them, so they have also developed strong feet to help them hold on branches for long hours while waiting for prey.

The Kookaburra also has many predators, and they are mainly larger birds found in Australia such as the owl and the [|Eagle], sometimes the Kookaburra may also be caught by a fox or dingo if it is unaware. Nestlings and Incubating adults may also be taken by [|pythons], goannas and quolls.
 * Predators **

The Kookaburras have many predators that are much larger and faster than themselves, so in order to protect themselves, they will usually fluff up their wings to make them look bigger when they see predators, and this is to scare them away. Kookaburras also build their nests in tree holes and termite holes, this prevents predators getting to them when they are inside. This environmental aspect has led to the Kookaburra developing a loud call that helps them warm each other when they see a predator, and their brown feathers have also been developed to hide themselves from predators.


 * Bibliography: **

Animal Bytes. (2011). //LAUGHING KOOKABURRA//. Retrieved June 15, 2011, from Animal Bytes: http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordata/craniata/aves/coraciiformes/laughing-kookaburra.htm

Fostercare of Australia's Unique Native Animals Association Inc. (2008). //KOOKABURRA//. Retrieved June 15, 2011, from FAUNA: http://www.fauna.com.au/web_pages/animals/birds/kookaburra.html

//Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)//. (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2011, from http://www.robstewartphotography.com/facts/Kookaburra.asp?i_id=543

National Zoological Zoo. (n.d.). //Laughing Kookaburra//. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from National Zoological Zoo: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/birds/facts/factsheets/fact-giantkingfisher.cfm

Ocean Challenge Inc. (1999, November 9). //Rainforest Live News.// Retrieved June 16, 2011, from http://www.sitesalive.com/rl/99f/private/rln/rln991108.pdf

San Diego Zoo. (2011). //Birds: Laughing Kookaburra//. Retrieved June 12, 2011, from San Diego Zoo: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-laughing_kookaburra.html

Woodland Park Zoo. (2011). //Animal Fact Sheets//. Retrieved June 14, 2011, from Woodland Park Zoo: http://www.zoo.org/animal-facts/kookaburra

Yahoo Answers. (2009). Retrieved June 11, 2011, from Yahoo Answers: http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090318201101AAFe6E0