Blue-winged Kookaburra
Dacelo leachii
Very large kingfisher with a lot of blue in the wings and tail. Note pale eye and pale, finely streaked head. Occurs across northern Australia in a variety of woodland habitats including parks and gardens. Often perches on powerlines. Its call is quite different to the Laughing Kookaburra, typically a loud rolling squawk and various loud yapping sounds.
Identification
The adult blue-winged kookaburra measures around 38 to 42 cm (15 to 17 in) in length and weighs 260 to 330 g. Compared to the related laughing kookaburra, it is smaller, lacks a dark mask, has more blue in the wing, and has striking white eyes. It has a heavier bill than its larger relative. The head and underparts are cream-coloured with brownish streaks. It is sexually dimorphic, with a blue tail in the male, and a rufous tail with blackish bars in the female. Immature birds have more prominent brown bars and marks in their plumage, giving a "dirty" appearance, and their eyes are predominantly brown for the first two years of life.<p>Their call has been described as a maniacal cackling or barking.
Taxonomy
The blue-winged kookaburra was first collected by Sir Joseph Banks in 1770, but was initially overlooked and confused with the laughing kookaburra, and was finally officially described by Nicholas Aylward Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1826, its specific name commemorating 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.<p>The number of subspecies is unclear - with four recognised by most authorities, although others have proposed that the three Australian subspecies gradually change across Australia and should be treated as one.
- Scientific name
- Dacelo leachii
- Authority
- Vigors & Horsfield, 1827
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Halcyonidae
- Genus
- Dacelo
Range and habitat
The blue-winged kookaburra has a distribution from southern New Guinea and the moister parts of northern Australia, to the vicinity of Brisbane in southern Queensland across the Top End, and as far down the Western Australian coast as the Shark Bay area. It does not occur between Broome and Port Hedland in northwestern Australia. Widespread and common throughout its large range, the blue-winged kookaburra is evaluated as of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Found in family groups of up to 12 individuals, it lives in open savannah woodland and Melaleuca swamps, as well as farmlands such as sugarcane plantations.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Great Gray Shrike
Lanius excubitor
Thrush-sized bird; pale gray overall with black mask. In flight, watch for white patches in the wings. In areas of overlap, compare with other gray shrikes. Inhabits open habitats with scattered vegetation, from open forests to bogs and brushy meadows. Often seen on prominent perches, including power lines and short treetops, that offer perfect vantages for from which to spot prey. Carnivorous habits make shrikes unique among passerines, feeding on rodents and small birds. Vocalizations include bright short liquid trills and “gargling” phrases, often strung together into a repetitive song.
Streaky Seedeater
Crithagra striolata
Medium-sized brown, heavily streaked seedeater. Note the boldly marked face with one dark brown mark across the ears and another below the bill. The distinctive subspecies found in southern Tanzania and Malawi has a yellow wash across the face. Generally common at middle and high elevations in a variety of open habitats including gardens, cultivation, scrub, heath, and forest edge. Gives a pretty, musical up-and-down song that is more like a thrush’s than a typical seedeater’s. Also gives a distinctive, high-pitched “seeeiiu” call. Similar to Reichard’s Seedeater, but has a different facial pattern, with a pale mark below the eye.
Magpie-lark
Grallina cyanoleuca
Large, terrestrial songbird with long, strong legs and fairly long, thin bill. Male black above, white below, with white wing patch, white face patch, white eye, black bib, black eyeline; female has white throat and immature a dark eye. Inhabits parks, gardens, and urban areas. Aggressive and noisy, often attacking its own reflection in car mirrors and windows. Much smaller than Australian Magpie, with a smaller pale bill.
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