Blue-winged kookaburras have a large square head and a long bill that is wide at the base. Their head is pale with brown streaks, and they have striking blue feathers on their wings. They are sexually dimorphic with the male having a blue tail while the female has a rufous tail with black bars.
Blue-winged kookaburras spend a great deal of energy carrying out boundary-marking displays, and their vocalisations sound like barks and hiccups.
They are social birds, pairs will mate for life and they live in family groups of up to 12 individuals.
They are territorial and hunt by swooping down and catching prey in their wide beaks.
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Blue-winged kookaburra
Dacelo leachii
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Animal classAves, coraciiformes
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HabitatEucalyptus forest, savannah and wetlands. -
DietCarnivores – will eat a wide variety of prey including insects, spiders, small reptiles and to a lesser extent worms, crabs, and frogs.
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Conservation statusLeast concern
Blue-winged kookaburra are different to other kingfishers as they are sedentary and territorial, year-round.
Males and females have different coloured tails. The male has a blue tail while the female’s tail is a reddish-brown colour with black bars.
The blue-winged kookaburra ranges from 40 to 45cm in length and can weigh up to approximately 390grams.
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Introduction
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Conservation
Blue-winged kookaburra are classed as least concern.
Although they are listed as least concern, the blue-winged kookaburra faces some threats. These include human encroachment through urban development, causing habitat loss, collisions with vehicles, and companion animals like cats, hunting them. Climate change is also having an impact on their populations, as there are more forest fires destroying their habitats.
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Habitat
The blue-winged kookaburra is an Australian species that can also be found in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
They inhabit eucalyptus forest and woodland and will also occupy wooded and cleared farmyard, and even city parks and residential gardens.
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Fun Facts
Blue-winged kookaburras are predators that eat a range of prey in their range. As a result, they carry out an important role in managing the populations of prey species and therefore ensure there is a healthy balance within the ecosystem.
Kookaburras are monogamous. They nest in tree hollows or old termite nests.
The parents will be assisted in rearing the young chicks by helpers that consist offspring from previous years clutches.
