|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
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.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"kookaburra." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "kookaburra." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-kookabur.html "kookaburra." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-kookabur.html |
|
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). |
|
|
Cite this article
"kookaburra." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "kookaburra." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-kookaburra.html "kookaburra." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-kookaburra.html |
|
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.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"kookaburra." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "kookaburra." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-kookaburra.html "kookaburra." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-kookaburra.html |
|
kookaburra
kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) See ALCEDINIDAE.
|
|
|
Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "kookaburra." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "kookaburra." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-kookaburra.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "kookaburra." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-kookaburra.html |
|
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
|
|
|
Cite this article
"kookaburra." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "kookaburra." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-kookaburra.html "kookaburra." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-kookaburra.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
