Kookaburra larger group known as "kingfishers", kookaburras are not closely associated with water. The genus "Dacelo" was introduced by the English zoologist William Elford Leach in 1815. The type species is the laughing kookaburra. The name "Dacelo" is an anagram of "Alcedo", the Latin word for a kingfisher. A molecular study published in 2017 found that the genus "Dacelo", as currently defined, is paraphyletic. The shovel-billed kookaburra in the monotypic genus "Clytoceyx" sits within "Dacelo". Four species of kookaburra can be found in Australia, New Guinea, and the Aru Islands. Kookaburras are sexually dimorphic. This is noticeable in the blue-winged and
The Australian Bird Guide is an extensive index at the back of the book. This is then followed by details on how the guide was constructed, their sources of information and specifically what area and species were covered. This is followed by sections on identifying birds and on birding in Australia. Before the detailed description of species commences there is a guide for birders to the evolution and classification of birds. While this may not be expected in such a work this section “it will get birders thinking”. This section was written by Dr Leo Joseph of the Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO (Commonwealth