Kookaburra, or Kinghunter, a bird of Australia and New Guinea, the largest of all kingfishers. It is also called the laughing jackass because of its wild, laughing cry. The bird feeds mainly on reptiles, crabs, rats, mice, nestling birds, and insects.

The kookaburra is generally brown above and white below, with three rows of white spots on its wings and a dark band across the forehead and eyes. Its nest is made in the hollow of a tree.

The kookaburras belong to the kingfisher family, Alcedinidae. The scientific name for the most familiar species, the laughing kookaburra, is Dacelo novaeguineae.

The kookaburraThe kookaburra is the largest kingfisher, famous for its wild, laughing call.