Cuckoo for Kookaburras!!

The Australian Laughing Kookaburra

Darlings! Remember when you were a kid and you used to watch Tarzan movies on Saturday morning? If you recall all the jungle sounds from those movies there was one sound in particular that I had always wondered about! Just what kind of animal was making that crazy sound? It was like a mad, cackling monkey but it wasn't until I moved to Australia that I realized that the sound was no monkey but actually a bird: The Australian "laughing" kookaburra!

Now, why is La Diva getting all "Marlin Perkins" on you? Well, darlings, I just love the little critters and was lucky enough to be staying at my dear friend's house on the edge of a national park north of Sydney where I was woken by the kookaburra's laugh every morning (usually at 5:30am!!!) I just had to share their joyous song for you for a fun Friday post! (You'll have to forgive me darlings, as La Diva has not quite mastered the art of podcasts...yet!)

I took this video early in the morning on the edge of Garigal National Park with the sounds of kookaburras, wattle birds and lorikeet parrots. Click to hear them!

The kookaburra is the largest member of the kingfisher family and is a native of south western Australia. The kookaburra's name is actually from the Aboriginal Wiradjuri tribe of New South Wales and their riotous call can be heard from long distances!

The birds are pretty common in many backyards around Sydney and can be the bain of pond owners as they've been known to steal tiny frogs! They mostly live on small reptiles , mice and marsupials in spite of their kingfisher title.

Want to learn more about these beautiful birds? You can click here. And...if you want to hear the call that Hollywood producers stole for their jungle scenes, you can hear it in full force here!

Enjoy, darlings, and take a clue from the kookaburras and have a LAUGH this weekend!