Dacelo leachii
The Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii) is a striking large kingfisher, native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea, famed for its distinctive 'laughing' call. Averaging 28-36 cm (11-14 inches) in length and weighing 190-330 g (6.7-11.6 oz), it sports a large head and a stout, dark bill. Its most distinguishing features include brilliant blue patches on its wings, a streaked white or pale buff crown, and an often barred, whitish belly. While both sexes are similar, males typicall...
This kookaburra primarily inhabits open eucalyptus forests, woodlands, paperbark swamps, and mangroves, often found near water bodies at low elevations.
Its diet is broad, comprising large insects (grasshoppers, beetles), scorpions, spiders, crustaceans (especially crabs), and a variety of small vertebrates including lizards, snakes, frogs, small birds, and rodents. They primarily forage by swooping down from a perch to seize prey.
Blue-winged Kookaburras are diurnal predators, employing a 'perch-and-pounce' hunting strategy from an elevated vantage point, scanning for prey. They are social birds, living in small family groups typically consisting of a breeding pair and several 'helper' offspring from previous broods. These...
The Blue-winged Kookaburra is a resident species found across northern Australia and southern New Guinea. In Australia, its distribution spans from the Kimberley region of Western Australia, across the 'Top End' of the Northern Territory, and throughout much of Queensland, extending south along t...
Least Concern
- Blue-winged Kookaburras are cooperative breeders, meaning that juvenile birds from previous broods often stay with their parents to help raise subsequent clutches of chicks. - Unlike its more famous relative, the Laughing Kookaburra, the Blue-winged Kookaburra's 'laugh' is often described as mo...