| Kookaburra | |
|---|---|
| |
| Laughing kookaburra in Tasmania, Australia | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Coraciiformes |
| Family: | Alcedinidae |
| Subfamily: | Halcyoninae |
| Genus: | Dacelo Leach, 1815 |
| Type species | |
| Alcedo gigantea[1] Hermann, 1783
| |
| Species | |
| Phylogeny |
| Cladogram based on the molecular analysis by Andersen and colleagues published in 2017.[2] |
Kookaburras (pronounced /ˈkʊkəbʌrə/)[3][4] are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus Dacelo native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between 28 and 47 cm (11 and 19 in) in length and weigh around 300 g (11 oz). The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri guuguubarra, onomatopoeic of its call. The loud, distinctive call of the laughing kookaburra is widely used as a stock sound effect in situations that involve an Australian bush setting or tropical jungle, especially in older movies.[citation needed]
They are found in habitats ranging from humid forest to arid savannah, as well as in suburban areas with tall trees or near running water. Though they belong to the larger group known as "kingfishers", kookaburras are not closely associated with water.[5]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Peters1945was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Andersen, M.J.; McCullough, J.M.; Mauck III, W.M.; Smith, B.T.; Moyle, R.G. (2017). "A phylogeny of kingfishers reveals an Indomalayan origin and elevated rates of diversification on oceanic islands". Journal of Biogeography. 45 (2): 1–13. doi:10.1111/jbi.13139.
- ^ Wells, John C. (2000). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (2nd ed.). Longman. p. 423. ISBN 0-582-36467-1.
- ^ "kookaburra". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/OED/5381999672. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ Simpson, Ken (1989). Field guide to the birds of Australia: a book of identification. Christopher Helm. p. 317.