Blue-winged kookaburra Blue-winged kookaburra The blue-winged kookaburra ("Dacelo leachii") is a large species of kingfisher native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea. Measuring around , it is slightly smaller than the more familiar laughing kookaburra. It has cream-coloured upper- and underparts barred with brownish markings. It has blue wings and brown shoulders and blue rump. It is sexually dimorphic, with a blue tail in the male, and a rufous tail with blackish bars in the female. The blue-winged kookaburra was first collected by Sir Joseph Banks in 1770, but was initially overlooked and confused with the laughing kookaburra, and was finally
The Australian Bird Guide Scientific Industrial Research Organisation). The Guide provides detailed maps indicating where a species or sub-species are likely to occur and shading to help identify where the birds are most likely to occur. Several of the reviewers highlighted this feature as a major positive of the guide and the "10,000 Bird" review considered the 2 field guides with this feature the best available. The Foreword to "The Australian Bird Guide" was written by Paul Sullivan, Chief Executive of Birdlife Australia, Australia’s peak ornithological body. This foreword states that the authors and artists of this book are considered leaders in their field