Shovel-billed kookaburra kookaburras in the genus "Dacelo". Widespread but uncommon throughout a large part of New Guinea, the shovel-billed kookaburra is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Shovel-billed kookaburra The shovel-billed kookaburra ("Clytoceyx rex"), also known as the shovel-billed kingfisher, is a large, approximately 33 cm (13 in) long, dark brown tree kingfisher with a heavy, short and broad bill that is unique among the kingfishers. It has a dark head with rufous stripe behind eye, a white throat, rufous neck collar and underparts, bright blue rump, brown iris, brownish-black bill with paler mandible (entire bill
The Life of Birds possibly show paths this evolution may have taken. One of the biggest birds to have ever existed was the terror bird, which proliferated after dinosaurs vanished and stood up to 2.5 metres tall. By comparison, the ostrich, while not closely related, is the largest and heaviest living bird. It was probably the evasion of predators that drove most birds into the air, so their flightless cousins evolved because they had few enemies. Accordingly, such species are more likely to be found on islands, and Attenborough visits New Zealand to observe its great variety, most especially the kiwi. Also depicted is