Blue-winged Kookaburra…
The blue-winged kookaburra is a large kingfisher with a long beak and a square head. Its head has brown streaks, while its shoulders, rump and (in males) the tail are blue in color. They are rather shy birds and are hardly noticed as they sit quietly perched among the foliage.
Its diet is made up of a variety of ground-dwelling animals. The kookaburra dives with beak open to grab the prey from the ground. Its beak is specialized to enable it to hold prey. After a successful catch, the bird returns with it to its perch. It beats the prey on the perch before swallowing it. However, it is very careful if it is hunting snakes. Undigested food is regurgitated, which can be seen on the ground below its nest.
TKookaburra chicks are born blind and naked. They have an egg-tooth, to help them crack out of their egg shells. During the first week of their lives the chicks are very aggressive — the older ones often tend to kill the younger ones. For the first 1 to 2 months, the parents teach the young how to hunt, until they are old enough to fend for themselves.
Blue-winged Kookaburras are featured in the following book:
25 Australian Animals
The YouTube video playlist below contains videos about blue-winged Kookaburras. Details of the videos featured are underneath.
The Playlist:
- Blue-Winged Kookaburra Killing Ham by Sazesha
- Blue winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachiia) by Alan Marshall
- Blue Winged Kookaburra by Owen Allen
