Meet Laughing Kookaburra. Are They Laughing or Screaming?

Australia is full of unique animals, but the laughing kookaburra must be one of the most well known. The bird prefers dry forests with streams but is also commonly found in backyards, parks, and gardens. Its population is stable in the wild and seems to thrive in the presence of humans: the birds are known to be bold and steal food from picnics, sometimes snatching hot meat straight from the barbecue. Meet Lovely Laughing Kookaburra. Let's get to know them a little more.

Adult kookaburras pair for life and use the same nest hole, found in a tree hole or arboreal termite nest, each year. A breeding pair establishes a year-round territory that is also used by four to five of its grown young, which serve as helpers. These helper do their share of incubating the eggs, keeping the chicks warm, feeding their young siblings, and defending their parents' territory. All members of the group develop brood patches (a bare space on the breast with lots of blood vessels for warming the eggs).