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 thought that the Australian Bird Guide edged out "The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, 9th edition" by Graham Pizzey and Frank Knight, edited by Sarah Pizzey (2012). The review thought the index of the Guide was not as good as the Pizzey and Knight guide. The reviewer preferred the Guide because of the “currency of information, denseness of text, and quality and quantity of illustrations. They also state that because of the difference in emphasis of the different guides there are many reasons to own more than one of the guides. This review looked at the following guides