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
Invasive species of Australian origin Florida. The colonised area included a substantial proportion of the Everglades, an important national park and World Heritage Site. Attempts were made to control the spread by burning, but this only exacerbated the problem as it encouraged seed dispersal while failing to kill the trees. The spread of "Melaleuca" is now managed by a combination of regular herbicide treatment and the introduction of an Australian beetle as a biological control. A number of "Acacia" species have become serious environmental pests after being introduced into southern Africa. The most troublesome species are "Acacia cyclops" and "Acacia saligna". Both are Western Australian