Its famous laughing chorus is a territorial call, often delivered by several family members at dawn and dusk.
Not listed
Endemic to Australia
Indigenous: Gugurrgaagaa
At a glance
FamilyKingfishers
SizeLarge
RarityCommon
HabitatIn urban areas it is found in parks and gardens.
Best timeReported across most months in New South Wales, with no narrow seasonal peak.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Marc Anderson
Range map
Range map
200approx hotspots
848742approx records
6states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
In Queensland take care to identify from Blue-winged Kookaburra, which has a pale eye and a pale streaked head.
Behavior
Typical calls include an immediately recognizable and distinctive laugh, which gives the species its common name. Abundant in parks, towns, forests, and campgrounds.
Gallery
Regional timing
New South Wales
Tasmania
Queensland
Western Australia
Victoria
South Australia
Australian Capital Territory