The laughing kookaburra is well known both as a symbol of Australia’s birdlife and as the inspirational “merry, merry king of the bush” from the children’s song.
According to an Aboriginal legend, the kookaburra's famous chorus of laughter every morning is a signal for the sky people to light the great fire that illuminates and warms the earth by day. The legend captures the imagination, but the true function of the familiar cacophony is to advertise the territory of this bold bird.
The Laughing Kookaburra is the largest of the Kingfisher family, but unlike most of its relatives, it is sedentary and occupies the same territories the year round. Before spring breeding season, when family groups adjust their boundaries, an observer can actually locate the territories by listening to the noisy choruses at dusk as each group calls in turn and awaits the replies of neighbouring groups.
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