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I've never had a kookaburra steal a snag (they mostly just drop into our yard for a skink or two), but I'm still mourning that cheese sandwich snatched up by a Black currawong at Cradle Mountain NP. I was really hungry, dammit!
As for the "laughing" bit, they seem to have an uncanny ability to launch into a raucous laugh just when you've done something stupid. ;)
Actually there are only two kookaburra in Australia, the other two are in New Guinea, which shares a lot of similar species with Australia.
The four kookaburra are:
Rufous-bellied Kookaburra (Dacelo gaudichaud). (southern New Guinea, Saibai island)
Spangled Kookaburra (Dacelo tyro). (Aru Islands, southern New Guinea)
Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii). (northern Australia, southern New Guinea)
Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae). (native to eastern Australia, introduced to southwest Australia)
Wow I never knew that.. I always just assumed these were Kookaburras and the 'laughing' part was an Australianism. What are the other kinds?
HI Chris, there are four kookaburra in Australia, you spotted the most familiar species, the Laughing kookaburra.