Why Does the Kookaburra Laugh?

小时候，您可能在学校了解到Kookaburra是本地的鸟澳大利亚and that it has a really funny name. You might even have learned the kooky littlekookaburra song：

But what else do you know about this chuckling feathered friend from the land Down Under?

Kookaburra is an Australian土著单词 -guuguubarra– that describes the laughing sound the bird makes. According to an Australian aboriginal myth, the creator god Baiame made thekookaburracall out when the sun rose in the morning. The bird was so happy to see the sun that he laughed out loud, waking people and other creatures. And while it's true that kookaburras do laugh at dawn (they're often called the "bushman's clock"), according to Julie Grove, an Animal Embassy area manager for theMaryland Zoo, their laughter serves an essential purpose for the bird.

Why Does the Kookaburra Laugh?

她说：“他们主要是为了建立领土。”“他们生活在小型家庭中。尽管在黎明和黄昏时最常见，但可以在一天中的任何时候听到笑声。男性可能会开始笑的kookaburra声音，而家庭团体的其他成员可能会加入。虽然其中很多听起来对我们来说是一样的，但他们在家庭中听起来会有所不同。他们会在小组内有某些呼叫。它变成了一个非常大声的合唱。vocalization studiesthat the sounds made by one group resemble each other and they are different from other groups of kookaburras."

他们还发声以在家庭群体中建立等级制度，有时Kookaburras从事“ Bill Wrestling”之类的事情，以决定谁将成为最后一只鸟。但是格罗夫说，真正有趣的是，Kookaburra的笑声被误认为是其他大型动物 - 有时是故意的。

"Their vocalizations have been used in a lot of movies as the sound of primates," she says. "When you watch "Tarzan" or "Jurassic Park," and hear a chimp vocalization, it's actually a recording of a kookaburra. It does sound very similar to a group of chimpanzees."

您最有可能在澳大利亚东部桉树森林的野外找到笑的kookaburra；但是，在西澳大利亚，新西兰甚至塔斯马尼亚州的部分地区也发现了它们。笑的kookaburra是四个物种之一。其他三个是蓝翅的kookaburra（Dacelo Leachii), the spangled kookaburra (Dacelo tyro）和红胶状的kookaburra（Dacelo gaudichaud）。They all are known to emit a loud, cackling call but, according toBirdLife Australia, "the Blue-winged Kookaburra’s laugh is said to 'lack the same sense of humour,'" as the laughing kookaburra, which seems to be true of the other two species of kookaburra as well.

Kookaburras是翠鸟家族的成员，长度从15到18英寸（38至46厘米）的长度；它们可以重7至16盎司（368至453克）。他们的头部有一个平方的头，脖子浓密，颈部肌肉浓密。Kookaburras的脸上有棕色条纹，头顶上有较轻的棕色条纹。他们有大的棕色眼睛和坚固，杰出的账单。

Their feathers are brown, dark brown and white, providing camouflage in the forest. The kookaburra has excellent vision, a helpful attribute because (despite the jolly song) kookaburras are predators and not picky eaters.

"They sit and wait on a perch, waiting for the prey," says Grove. "They have that really strong beak, so they crush small prey with it. What is pretty cool is the way they killsnakes。They bash the larger prey against a hard surface, which is fascinating."

In the wild, kookaburras eat everything from insects, fish and rodents, to other birds and snakes. Farmers in Western Australia and New Zealand, where the kookaburra was introduced, consider the bird a pest because it will prey on their fowl.

kookaburras形成了一夫一的终身对，通常从9月至1月繁殖，澳大利亚的春季。筑巢时，kookaburras将他们的鸡蛋发掘出来termite moundsor tree hollows.

"They generally lay a clutch of about three eggs," says Grove. "Both parents incubate the eggs for 24 to 26 days and then they usually fledge by 32 to 40 days."

Is the Kookaburra Endangered?

The Australian wildfires in 2019 are estimated to have killed more than 1 billion animals, including kookaburras. Despite that astonishing figure, kookaburras' status in the wild falls in the lowest risk category. However, that death toll number doesn't include invertebrates and insects, which make up much of the kookaburra's diet. It may be years before we see the full effects of the damage done.

The Maryland Zoo has one kookaburra, a 15-year-old male named流氓, one of the zoo's Animal Ambassadors.

"He's not an exhibit bird," says Grove. "So, he's not an animal anyone can see coming to the zoo. He is handled to go out on programs and participate in educational programs for us here at the zoo."

Rascal has a team of keepers that have built a relationship with him.

格罗夫说：“我们每天都与他互动。”“不仅有人可以与他一起工作。我们通过使用食物来做到这一点。我们建立信任。一旦建立了，我们就可以与他合作，以我们要求他做的行为。我们要求他做的事情每天都站在一个规模上，以便我们可以称重他，飞向我们的手，从门将飞往守护者进行锻炼，他也受过训练去他的狗窝。这很重要，因为这就是他在我们时旅行的方式上学。（他们不得不因为19号而停下来。）他是最喜欢的，因为我们可以让他笑。”

格罗夫说，里斯卡（Rascal）生活在一个幕后围栏中。Kookaburras通常生活14至15年。但是，在获得兽医护理方面的囚禁中，他们可以寿命更长的时间。

"They can live up to 20 years," says Grove. "Rascal is 15 now and in perfect xf187手机版health and doing well. I can see him getting to the top end of the scale."