This Bird Sounds Like It’s Laughing—Meet the Kookaburra

Five facts you probably didn't know about this "merry, merry king of the bush."

Transcript

00:00This is Sydney, the aptly named laughing kookaburra, commonly known as the Merry Merry King of the Bush.

00:17And here are five things you need to know about the kookaburra.

00:21Number one, that famous laugh is used as a territorial marker, so if Sydney hears another kookaburra, she'll typically respond.

00:29Number two, they are highly skilled carnivorous hunters.

00:43They are what's known as a perch and pounce predator.

00:47They will sit high up in a tree and wait for an opportune moment to pounce on their prey.

00:53Number three, wild kookaburras are quite tame around humans.

00:57They've even been known to steal a sausage off a hot barbecue.

01:02Number four, laughing kookaburras are sexually dimorphic, meaning that you can tell them apart just by looking at them.

01:09Females can grow to be slightly larger than males and they have less blue feathers on their wings.

01:14Number five, kookaburras have excellent vision.

01:17And have an incredible ability to focus on their prey, even while the branch they're perching on is moving.

01:24Let's go!

01:25We'll see you next week.

01:26We'll see you next week.

01:27Wawwww!

01:27¡Gracias!