kookaburra

kook·a·bur·ra

K0102100 (ko͝ok′ə-bûr′ə, -bŭr′ə)n.1. A large kingfisher (Dacelo novaeguineae) of southern and eastern Australia, having brown and white plumage and a call resembling raucous laughter. Also called laughing jackass.2. Any of several similar kingfishers of the genera Dacelo and Clytoceyx of Australia, New Guinea, and neighboring islands.

[Wiradhuri (Pama-Nyungan language of southeast Australia) gugubarra, of imitative origin.]

kookaburra

(ˈkʊkəˌbʌrə) n1. (Animals) Also called: laughing jackass a large arboreal Australian kingfisher, Dacelo novaeguineae (or gigas), with a cackling cry2. (Animals) Also called: blue-winged kookaburra a related smaller bird D. Leachii, of tropical Australia and New Guinea[C19: from a native Australian language]

kook•a•bur•ra

(ˈkʊk əˌbɜr ə, -ˌbʌr ə)

n., pl. -ras. any of several Australian and Papuan birds of the genus Dacelo, of the kingfisher family, esp. D. gigas, having a loud call that resembles laughter. [1885–90; < Wiradjuri (Australian Aboriginal language)]

Thesaurus

Noun

kookaburra - Australian kingfisher having a loud cackling cryDacelo gigas, laughing jackasskingfisher - nonpasserine large-headed bird with a short tail and long sharp bill; usually crested and bright-colored; feed mostly on fishDacelo, genus Dacelo - Australasian kingfishers

Translations

cucaburramartin pescatore

kookaburra

(ko͝ok`əbûr'ə), common name for a squat, long-tailed Australian kingfisher, Dacelo novaeguineae. It is one of the largest birds of the family Alcedinidae (kingfisherkingfisher,
common name for members of the family Alcedinidae, essentially tropical and subtropical land birds, related to the bee-eaters, rollers, and todies. Kingfishers have chunky bodies, short necks and tails, large heads with erectile crests, and strong, long beaks.
..... Click the link for more information. family). Because of its loud, maniacal-sounding call, it is also known as the laughing jackass, or jackass kingfisher. The kookaburra has dull plumage and is about the size of a raven. Like many tree kingfishers, it does not fish at all, but rather feeds mainly on a diet of snakes, which it picks up by the head and drops from great heights in order to kill before consuming them. It also feeds on lizards, young birds, and large insects. Today, the kookaburra is often found in the vicinity of human settlements, using its large, hooked bill to scavenge for scraps. It is chiefly a solitary, nonmigratory bird. The kookaburra lays its pure white eggs in a burrow carved out of a termite nest. Both sexes participate in the incubation and care of their virtually helpless young. Kookaburras are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Coraciiformes, family Alcedinidae.

Bibliography

See study by V. A. Parry (1972).

kookaburra

1. a large arboreal Australian kingfisher, Dacelo novaeguineae (or gigas), with a cackling cry 2. a related smaller bird D. Leachii, of tropical Australia and New Guinea

kookaburra

kook·a·bur·ra

kookaburra

kook•a•bur•ra

kookaburra

kookaburra

Bibliography

kookaburra

kookaburra

Synonyms for kookaburra

noun Australian kingfisher having a loud cackling cry

Synonyms

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