
Kookaburras
Dacelo
Kookaburras (pronounced KUU-kə-buh-rə) are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus Dacelo native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between 28 and 47 cm (11 and 19 in) in length and weigh around 300 g (11 oz). The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri guuguubarra, onomatopoeic of its call. The loud, distinctive call of the laughing kookaburra is widely used as a stock sound effect in situations that involve an Australian bush setting or tropical jungle, especially in older movies.
They are found in habitats ranging from humid forest to arid savannah, as well as in suburban areas with tall trees or near running water. Though they are a species of kingfisher, kookaburras are not closely associated with water.
5 branches of this genus, most-observed first · about 5 known species

Laughing Kookaburra
speciesDacelo novaeguineae

Blue-winged Kookaburra
speciesDacelo leachii

Rufous-bellied Kookaburra
speciesDacelo gaudichaud

Spangled Kookaburra
speciesDacelo tyro

Shovel-billed Kookaburra
speciesDacelo rex
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Dacelo in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 2409.