Laughing kookaburra Laughing kookaburra The laughing kookaburra ("Dacelo novaeguineae") is a bird in the kingfisher subfamily Halcyoninae. It is a large robust kingfisher with a whitish head and a dark eye-stripe. The upperparts are mostly dark brown but there is a mottled light-blue patch on the wing coverts. The underparts are white and the tail is barred with rufous and black. The plumage of the male and female birds is similar. The territorial call is a distinctive laugh that is often delivered by several birds at the same time, and is widely used as a stock sound effect in situations that involve
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