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kookaburra
kookaburra , common name for a squat, long-tailed Australian kingfisher, Dacelo navaguinae. It is one of the largest birds of the family Alcedinidae ( kingfisher family). Because of its loud, maniacal-sounding call, it is also known as the laughing jackass, or jackass kingfisher. The kookaburra has dull plumage and is about the size of a raven. Like many forest kingfishers, it does not fish at all, but rather feeds mainly on a diet of snakes, which it picks up by the head and drops from great heights in order to kill before consuming them. It also feeds on lizards, young birds, and large insects. Today, the kookaburra is often found in the vicinity of human settlements, using its large, hooked bill to scavenge for scraps. It is chiefly a solitary, nonmigratory bird. The kookaburra lays its pure white eggs in a burrow carved out of a termite nest. Both sexes participate in the incubation and care of their virtually helpless young. Kookaburras are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Coraciiformes, family Alcedinidae.
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"kookaburra." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "kookaburra." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-kookabur.html "kookaburra." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-kookabur.html |
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kookaburra
kook·a·bur·ra / ˈkoŏkəˌbərə/ • n. a very large Australasian kingfisher (genus Dacelo) that feeds on terrestrial prey such as reptiles and birds. Two species: the blue-winged kookaburra (D. leachii) and the loud, cackling laughing kookaburra (D. gigas, or D. novaeguineae). |
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"kookaburra." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "kookaburra." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-kookaburra.html "kookaburra." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-kookaburra.html |
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kookaburra
kookaburra (laughing jackass) Large kingfisher of Australia, known for its call, which resembles fiendish laughter. Groups often scream in unison at dawn, midday, and dusk. They feed on animals. Species Dacelo gigas.
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"kookaburra." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "kookaburra." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-kookaburra.html "kookaburra." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-kookaburra.html |
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kookaburra
kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) See ALCEDINIDAE.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "kookaburra." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "kookaburra." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-kookaburra.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "kookaburra." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-kookaburra.html |
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kookaburra
kookaburra •abhorrer, adorer, Andorra, angora, aura, aurora, bora, Bora-Bora, borer, Camorra, Cora, corer, Dora, Eleonora, Eudora, explorer, fedora, flora, fora, ignorer, Isadora, Kia-Ora, Laura, Leonora, Maura, menorah, Nora, pakora, Pandora, pourer, roarer, scorer, senhora, señora, signora, snorer, soarer, Sonora, sora, storer, Theodora, Torah, Tuscarora, Vlorë
•goalscorer • cobra • okra • Oprah
•Socotra • Moira • Sudra
•chaulmoogra • supra
•Brahmaputra, sutra
•Zarathustra • Louvre • fulcra
•Tripura
•borough, burgh, Burra, curragh, demurrer, thorough
•Rubbra
•penumbra, umbra
•tundra • chakra • ultra • kookaburra
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Cite this article
"kookaburra." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "kookaburra." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-kookaburra.html "kookaburra." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-kookaburra.html |
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