"by ABC radio stations, and for Radio Australia's overseas broadcasts. This was the basis for a book for children: An Australian coin known as the Silver Kookaburra minted annually since 1990. The Australian 12-metre yacht ""Kookaburra III"" lost the America's Cup in 1987. The Australian Men's Hockey team is named after the kookaburra. , they are world champions in field hockey. Australian sports equipment company Kookaburra Sport is named after the bird. Kookaburra Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus Dacelo native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between 28–42 cm (11–17 in) in length. The name"
"officially described by Nicholas Aylward Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1826, its specific name commemorating the British zoologist William Elford Leach. It is one of four members of the genus ""Dacelo"" which are commonly known as kookaburras. Alternative common names include barking or howling jackass, or Leach's kookaburra. The number of subspecies is unclear - with four recognised by most authorities, although others have proposed the three Australian subspecies gradually change across Australia and should be treated as one. The adult blue-winged kookaburra measures around in length and weighs 260 to 330 g. Compared to the related laughing kookaburra, it"
"as part of the diet of traditional Aboriginal Australians. Their eggs, which weigh on average , are also sometimes eaten. Australian brushturkey The Australian brushturkey or Australian brush-turkey (""Alectura lathami""), also frequently called the scrub turkey or bush turkey, is a common, widespread species of mound-building bird from the family Megapodiidae found in eastern Australia from Far North Queensland to Eurobodalla on the south coast of New South Wales. The Australian brushturkey has also been introduced to Kangaroo Island in South Australia. It is the largest extant representative of the family Megapodiidae, and is one of three species to inhabit"
"the early years of the 20th century ""kookaburra"" was included as an alternative name in ornithological publications but it was not until 1926 in the second edition of the ""Official Checklist of Birds of Australia"" that the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union officially adopted the name ""laughing kookaburra"". The name comes from Wiradhuri, an Aboriginal language now effectively extinct. The genus ""Dacelo"" contains four kookaburra species of which the rufous-bellied kookaburra and the spangled kookaburra are restricted to New Guinea and islands in the Torres Straits. The blue-winged kookaburra and the laughing kookaburra are both widespread in Australia. Two subspecies are"
"Australian brushturkey The Australian brushturkey or Australian brush-turkey (""Alectura lathami""), also frequently called the scrub turkey or bush turkey, is a common, widespread species of mound-building bird from the family Megapodiidae found in eastern Australia from Far North Queensland to Eurobodalla on the south coast of New South Wales. The Australian brushturkey has also been introduced to Kangaroo Island in South Australia. It is the largest extant representative of the family Megapodiidae, and is one of three species to inhabit Australia. Despite its name and their superficial similarities, the bird is not closely related to American turkeys, nor to the"
"Kori bustard The kori bustard (""Ardeotis kori"") is the largest flying bird native to Africa. It is a member of the bustard family, which all belong to the order Otidiformes and are restricted in distribution to the Old World. It is one of the four species (ranging from Africa to India to Australia) in the large-bodied genus ""Ardeotis"". In fact, the male kori bustard may be the heaviest living animal capable of flight. This species, like most bustards, is a ground-dwelling bird and an opportunistic omnivore. Male kori bustards, which can be more than twice as heavy as the female,"
"national bird of Botswana. Kori bustard The kori bustard (""Ardeotis kori"") is the largest flying bird native to Africa. It is a member of the bustard family, which all belong to the order Otidiformes and are restricted in distribution to the Old World. It is one of the four species (ranging from Africa to India to Australia) in the large-bodied genus ""Ardeotis"". In fact, the male kori bustard may be the heaviest living animal capable of flight. This species, like most bustards, is a ground-dwelling bird and an opportunistic omnivore. Male kori bustards, which can be more than twice as"
"technically the largest Asian bird (since the extinction of the Arabian ostrich, and previously the moa of New Zealand) and the largest Australian bird (though the emu may be slightly taller). The southern cassowary is distributed in Indonesia, New Guinea and northeastern Australia. It mainly inhabits tropical rainforests but may make use of nearby savannah forests or mangroves stands. The species prefers elevations below in Australia, and on New Guinea. It forages on the forest floor for fallen fruit and is capable of safely digesting some fruits toxic to other animals. It also eats fungi, and some insects and small"
"Australian pelican The Australian pelican (""Pelecanus conspicillatus"") is a large waterbird of the family Pelecanidae, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia and as a vagrant in New Zealand. It is a predominantly white bird with black wings and a pink bill. It has been recorded as having the longest bill of any living bird. It mainly eats fish, but will also consume birds and scavenges for scraps if the opportunity arrises. The Australian pelican was first described by Dutch naturalist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1824. Its specific epithet"
"Superb lyrebird The superb lyrebird (""Menura novaehollandiae"") is an Australian songbird, one of two species from the family Menuridae. It is one of the world's largest songbirds, and is noted for its elaborate tail and excellent mimicry. The species is endemic to the south east of the country, and has been introduced to Tasmania. According to David Attenborough the species displays the most sophisticated voice skills within the animal kingdom. The superb lyrebird is featured on the reverse side of the Australian 10 cent coin. An Australian endemic, the superb lyrebird can be found in the forests of south-eastern Australia,"
"recent years, they have had a real-life wedge-tailed eagle named ""Auzzie"" perform tricks before matches. Wedge-tailed eagle The wedge-tailed eagle or bunjil (""Aquila audax"") is the largest bird of prey in Australia, and is also found in southern New Guinea, part of Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. It has long, fairly broad wings, fully feathered legs, and an unmistakable wedge-shaped tail. The wedge-tailed eagle is one of 12 species of large, predominantly dark-coloured booted eagles in the genus ""Aquila"" found worldwide. A large brown bird of prey, it has a wingspan up to and a length up to . The"
"can be attributed to the continent's long geographic isolation, tectonic stability, and the effects of an unusual pattern of climate change on the soil and flora over geological time. Australia and its territories are home to around 800 species of bird; 45% of these are endemic to Australia. Predominant bird species in Australia include the Australian magpie, Australian raven, the pied currawong, crested pigeons and the laughing kookaburra. The koala, emu, platypus and kangaroo are national animals of Australia, and the Tasmanian devil is also one of the well-known animals in the country. The goanna is a predatory lizard native"
"Black-breasted buzzard The black-breasted buzzard (""Hamirostra melanosternon"") is a large raptor endemic to mainland Australia. First described by John Gould in 1841, the it forms part of the family Accipitridae (hawks and eagles) and is most closely related to the square-tailed kite (""Lophoictinia isura""). It is a versatile hunter known for its special skill in cracking eggs. The species is common throughout most of its range. Intermediate in body size between the well-known larger wedge-tailed eagle (""Aquila audax)"" and the smaller little eagle (""Hieraaetus morphnoides""), the black-breasted buzzard is one of Australia’s largest birds of prey. An adult buzzard measures"
"Ornithological Committee (IOC). The species was named the ""Goliath Aratoo"" in Wood's Natural History (1862). It is also sometimes given the misnomer ""black macaw"" in aviculture - the macaws are unrelated New World parrots. Confusingly, this name was also used by early naturalists and Brazilian natives to refer to the dark blue hyacinth macaw. The palm cockatoo is in length and weighs . It may be the largest cockatoo species and largest parrot in Australia, although large races of yellow-tailed black cockatoos and sulphur-crested cockatoos broadly overlap in size. It is a distinctive bird with a large crest and has"
"the parent birds spend more time brooding the chicks, so the chicks are not able to fight. Kookaburras hunt much as other kingfishers (or indeed Australasian robins) do, by perching on a convenient branch or wire and waiting patiently for prey to pass by. Common prey include mice and similar-sized small mammals, large insects, yabbies, lizards, small birds and nestlings, and most famously, snakes. Small prey are preferred, but kookaburras sometimes take large creatures, including venomous snakes, much longer than their bodies. The population density of the laughing kookaburra in Australia varies between 0·04 and 0·8 birds/ha depending on the"
"Ornithoptera euphorion Ornithoptera euphorion, the Cairns birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly endemic to north-eastern Australia, and is Australia's largest endemic butterfly species. Other common names include Cooktown birdwing and northern birdwing. The names Cairns and Cooktown in its common name reference the Australian cities in the region where this butterfly is found. The wingspan can be up to in females, and in males. A closely allied species, the New Guinea or Priam's birdwing (""Ornithoptera priamus"") reaches and is the largest butterfly species found in Australia, but it is not endemic. ""O. euphorion"" is quite closely related to ""O."
"vegetation communities at the Buckaringa Sanctuary. Australian Wildlife Conservancy state that there 60 known species of birds at Buckaringa Sanctuary and 4 known mammals. Some of the bird species are the wedge-tailed eagle (""Aquila audax""), the emu (""Dromaius novaehollandiae""), the sulphur-crested cockatoo (""Cacatua galerita""), the peregrine falcon (""Falco peregrinus""), the sacred kingfisher (""Todiramphus sanctus"") and the blue-winged parrot (""Neophema chrysostoma""). The four mammal species are the western grey kangaroo (""Macropus fuliginosus""), the red kangaroo (""Macropus rufus""), the yellow-footed rock-wallaby (""Petrogale xanthopus"") and the euro (""Macropus robustus erubescens""). Buckaringa holds one of the largest colonies of the threatened yellow-footed rock-wallaby. The"
"the previous season. They often sing as a chorus to mark their territory. All kookaburra species are listed as Least Concern. Australian law protects native birds, including kookaburras. The distinctive sound of the laughing kookaburra's call, which sounds like echoing human laughter, is widely used in filmmaking and television productions, as well as certain Disney theme park attractions, regardless of African, Asian and South American jungle settings. Kookaburras have also appeared in several video games, including (""Lineage II"", ""Battletoads"", and ""World of Warcraft"") and at least in one short story (Barry Wood's ""Nowhere to Go""). Olly the Kookaburra was one"
"and 1936, describing bird predation and its life cycle to children. Thopha saccata Thopha saccata, commonly known as the double drummer, is the largest Australian species of cicada and reputedly the loudest insect in the world. Documented by the Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius in 1803, it was the first described and named cicada native to Australia. Its common name comes from the large dark red-brown sac-like pockets that the adult male has on each side of its abdomen—the ""double drums""—that are used to amplify the sound it produces. Broad-headed compared with other cicadas, the double drummer is mostly brown"
"Kangaroo The kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning ""large foot""). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus ""Macropus"": the red kangaroo, antilopine kangaroo, eastern grey kangaroo, and western grey kangaroo. Kangaroos are indigenous to Australia. The Australian government estimates that 34.3 million kangaroos lived within the commercial harvest areas of Australia in 2011, up from 25.1 million one year earlier. As with the terms ""wallaroo"" and ""wallaby"", ""kangaroo"" refers to a paraphyletic grouping of species. All three refer to members of the same"
"Cerbera floribunda Cerbera floribunda, commonly known as cassowary plum, grey milkwood, brebong, biegbau or babai, is a species of ""Cerbera"" native to New Guinea and Tropical North Queensland in Australia. It is a favourite food of North Queensland’s iconic flightless bird, the southern cassowary (""Casuarius casuarius""). The cassowary plum can grow to about 30 meters. At the age of three years, it begins to produce white flowers with red centers, which become the signature fruits. The fruit is egg shaped, large, smooth, and blue. Cassowaries commonly eat cassowary plums, hence the name. The plums' sap is poisonous to most animals,"
"Bird of the Year"". The Australian magpie won the contest with 19,926 votes (13.3%), narrowly ahead of the Australian white ibis. Australian magpie The Australian magpie (""Gymnorhina tibicen"") is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. Although once considered to be three separate species, it is now considered to be one, with nine recognised subspecies. A member of the Artamidae, the Australian magpie is placed in its own genus ""Gymnorhina"" and is most closely related to the black butcherbird (""Melloria quoyi""). It is not, however, closely related to the European magpie, which is"
"Wedge-tailed eagle The wedge-tailed eagle or bunjil (""Aquila audax"") is the largest bird of prey in Australia, and is also found in southern New Guinea, part of Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. It has long, fairly broad wings, fully feathered legs, and an unmistakable wedge-shaped tail. The wedge-tailed eagle is one of 12 species of large, predominantly dark-coloured booted eagles in the genus ""Aquila"" found worldwide. A large brown bird of prey, it has a wingspan up to and a length up to . The species was first described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial"
"Andean condor The Andean condor (""Vultur gryphus"") is a South American bird in the New World vulture family Cathartidae and is the only member of the genus Vultur. Found in the Andes mountains and adjacent Pacific coasts of western South America, the Andean condor is the largest flying bird in the world by combined measurement of weight and wingspan. It has a maximum wingspan of exceeded only by the wingspans of four seabirds and water birds—the roughly maximum of the wandering albatross, southern royal albatross, great white pelican and Dalmatian pelican. It is a large black vulture with a ruff"
"Due to the popularity of open water sports, the habitat of this pelican has suffered considerably less than more vegetated wetlands throughout Australia. The Australian pelican is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Australian pelican The Australian pelican (""Pelecanus conspicillatus"") is a large waterbird of the family Pelecanidae, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia and as a vagrant in New Zealand. It is a predominantly white bird with black wings and a pink bill. It has been recorded as having the longest"
"and in partly cleared areas or farmland with trees along roads and fences. In urban areas it is found in parks and gardens. The range of the laughing kookaburra overlaps with that of the blue-winged kookaburra in an area of eastern Queensland that extends from the Cape York Peninsula south to near Brisbane. Around Cooktown the laughing kookaburra tends to favour areas near water while the blue-winged kookaburra keeps to drier habitats. Kookaburras occupy woodland territories (including forests) in loose family groups, and their laughter serves the same purpose as a great many other bird calls—to mark territorial borders. Most"
"Red kangaroo The red kangaroo (""Macropus rufus"") is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest terrestrial mammal native to Australia, and the largest extant marsupial. It is found across mainland Australia, avoiding only the more fertile areas in the south, the east coast, and the northern rainforests. This species is a very large kangaroo with long, pointed ears and a squared-off muzzle. They are sexually dimorphic as the males have short, red-brown fur, fading to pale buff below and on the limbs. Females are smaller than males and are blue-grey with a brown tinge, pale grey below, although arid zone"
"industrious and cheerful bird who mated for life, was fearless and aggressive in the defence of its young and the area of territory it regarded as its own. The bird also had a unique call, not a song but a laugh; a chortle of rollicking mirth (to bring the widows back to laughter). Also the kookaburra is a typically and completely Australian symbol, one that could be worn proudly by every widow whatever her creed or ideals. The kookaburra was also the mascot of the 7th Division , commanded by Mrs Vasey’s husband, Major-General George Alan Vasey. Mrs Vasey asked"
"Greater glider The greater glider (""Petauroides volans"") is a small gliding marsupial found in Australia. It is not closely related to the ""Petaurus"" group of gliding marsupials but instead to the lemur-like ringtail possum (""Hemibelideus lemuroides""), with which it shares the subfamily Hemibelideinae. The greater glider is nocturnal and is a solitary herbivore feeding almost exclusively on ""Eucalyptus"" leaves and buds. Like its relative the lemur-like ringtail, the greater glider is found in two forms: a sooty brown form, or a grey-to-white form. The greater glider is found in eucalypt forest from Mossman, Queensland, to Daylesford, Victoria. Greater gliders have"
"Butcherbird Butcherbirds are magpie-like birds, most found in the genus ""Cracticus,"" but the black butcherbird is placed in the monotypic genus ""Melloria"". They are native to Australasia. Together with three species of currawong and two species of peltops, butcherbirds and the Australian magpie form the subfamily Cracticinae in the family Artamidae. Butcherbirds are large songbirds, being between in length. Their colour ranges from black-and-white to mostly black with added grey plumage, depending on the species. They have a large, straight bill with a distinctive hook at the end which is used to skewer prey. They have high-pitched complex songs, which"
"Thopha saccata Thopha saccata, commonly known as the double drummer, is the largest Australian species of cicada and reputedly the loudest insect in the world. Documented by the Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius in 1803, it was the first described and named cicada native to Australia. Its common name comes from the large dark red-brown sac-like pockets that the adult male has on each side of its abdomen—the ""double drums""—that are used to amplify the sound it produces. Broad-headed compared with other cicadas, the double drummer is mostly brown with a black pattern across the back of its thorax, and"
"Australian magpie The Australian magpie (""Gymnorhina tibicen"") is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. Although once considered to be three separate species, it is now considered to be one, with nine recognised subspecies. A member of the Artamidae, the Australian magpie is placed in its own genus ""Gymnorhina"" and is most closely related to the black butcherbird (""Melloria quoyi""). It is not, however, closely related to the European magpie, which is a corvid. The adult Australian magpie is a fairly robust bird ranging from in length, with distinctive black and white plumage,"
"Emu The emu (""Dromaius novaehollandiae"") is the second-largest living bird by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ""Dromaius"". The emu's range covers most of mainland Australia, but the Tasmanian emu and King Island emu subspecies became extinct after the European settlement of Australia in 1788. The bird is sufficiently common for it to be rated as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Emus are soft-feathered, brown, flightless birds with long necks and legs, and"