Blue-winged Kookaburra

The blue-winged kookaburra (Dacelo leachii) is a large kingfisher, slightly smaller than its cousin, the laughing kookaburra. It boasts a cream-colored plumage with brownish bars, blue wings, and a blue rump. The male is distinguished by its blue tail, while the female's tail is rufous with blackish bars.

Identification Tips

Adults measure 38 to 42 cm in length and weigh between 260 to 330 grams. They lack the dark mask of the laughing kookaburra, have more blue in the wing, and striking white eyes. The bill is quite heavy. Juveniles can be identified by their more pronounced brown bars and marks, and their eyes are brown for the first two years.

Habitat

This species is found in open savannah woodland, Melaleuca swamps, and farmlands, including sugarcane plantations.

Distribution

The blue-winged kookaburra's range extends from southern New Guinea and northern Australia to Brisbane in southern Queensland, across the Top End, and down the Western Australian coast as far as Shark Bay.

Behaviour

They live in family groups of up to 12 individuals and are known for their maniacal cackling or barking calls.

Song & Calls

The call of the blue-winged kookaburra is a distinctive and loud cackle or barking sound.

Breeding

A cooperative breeder, the blue-winged kookaburra nests in tree hollows, with a breeding pair assisted by helper birds. They lay three to four white, slightly shiny eggs, and chicks are altricial, requiring extensive care post-hatching.

Diet and Feeding

Their diet varies seasonally, including insects, lizards, frogs, crayfish, scorpions, spiders, fish, earthworms, small birds, and rodents. They are opportunistic and may even snatch insects fleeing from bushfires.

Conservation status

The blue-winged kookaburra is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. However, they face predation from red goshawks and rufous owls, and adults are at risk of vehicle collisions. Nests may be raided by olive pythons, quolls, and goannas.