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14

Blue-winged Kookaburra

(Dacelo leachii)
Alternate name(s): "Leach's Kingfisher", "Blue-rumped Kingfisher",
"Howling Jackass", "Barking Jackass", "Queensland Kookaburra"
Aboriginal name(s): "garrukal" [yolngu]

Size: 38-42 cm
Weight: 260-330 g

Similar
species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Blue-winged Kookaburra at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Race "leachii"

ADULT

MALE

Full-frontal view of a male Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Loyalty Beach, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Frontal view of a male Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of S. Kirkby)
[Near Darwin, NT, June 2011]

Near-frontal view of a male Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Loyalty Beach, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Near-frontal view of a male Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Rapid Creek, Darwin, NT, June 2018]

Near-lateral view of a male Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mount Molloy, QLD, July 2018]

Lateral view of a male Blue-winged Kookaburra, with a clear view of its blue tail feathers (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Katherine, NT, July 2020]

Lateral view of a male Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, June 2018]

Lateral view of a male Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Loyalty Beach, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Lateral/ventral view of a male Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Loyalty Beach, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a male Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Loyalty Beach, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a male Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Stanage Bay, QLD, July 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a male Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, June 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a "mean-looking" male Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Oolloo Road crossing, Daly River, NT, August 2021]

Dorsal view of a male Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Loyalty Beach, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Dorsal view of a male Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Oak Valley NR, Townsville, QLD, September 2020]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Blue-winged Kookaburra; the sex was determined from a different photo of the same bird; the rufous wash may indicate fresh plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mary River Wilderness Retreat, NT, July 2020]

Near-frontal view of a female Blue-winged Kookaburra; note the brown edges to the tail feathers
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Nitmiluk NP, near Katherine, NT, December 2017]

Near-lateral view of a female Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, summer 2011]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a female Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Paru, Melville Island, NT, September 2016]

Lateral/ventral view of a female Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a female Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, July 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a female Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Oak Valley NR, Townsville, QLD, September 2020]

Dorsal view of a female Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, July 2020]

Dorsal view of a female Blue-winged Kookaburra; note the prominently visible barred brown tail characterising this bird as a female (photo courtesy of L. Tonnochy)
[Near Townsville, QLD, summer 2011]

Dorsal view of a female Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Nitmiluk NP, near Katherine, NT, December 2017]

Dorsal view of a female Blue-winged Kookaburra with its crest erected (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, June 2019]

PAIR

Pair of Blue-winged Kookaburras, female at lower right (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Manton Dam, near Darwin, NT, September 2019]

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of a Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Forever Wild Shared Earth Reserve, Mareeba, QLD, October 2020]

Near-lateral view of a Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Forever Wild Shared Earth Reserve, Mareeba, QLD, October 2020]

Lateral view of a Blue-winged Kookaburra (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Musgrave Roadhouse, Cape York peninsula, QLD, August 2019]

Direct comparison between a Blue-winged Kookaburra and a White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Oak Valley NR, Townsville, QLD, September 2020]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Female, left, with a dependent juvenile Blue-winged Kookaburra; note the young bird's dark cap and brown tail with blue centre (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Botanical Gardens, Darwin, NT, March 2019]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Feb Eggs: 1 - 4 Incubation period: 23 - 25 days Fledging age: ca. 35 days

Blue-winged Kookaburras may employ helpers from their family clan to assist with the incubation of eggs and feeding the young.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Tree hollow or arboreal termite mound Material: N/A Height above ground: ? m

Frontal view of a Blue-winged Kookaburra looking out of its nest hollow (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Oak Valley NR, Townsville, QLD, September 2020]

Lateral view of a Blue-winged Kookaburra looking into its nest hollow (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Oak Valley NR, Townsville, QLD, September 2020]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 45 x 36 mm Colour: White Shape: Rounded

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive Elementary unit: Family clan

P. Brown observed a juvenile Blue-winged Kookaburra whacking a stick against a branch, probably learning in a playful way to later kill its prey.

Juvenile Blue-winged Kookaburra with a stick (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Botanical Gardens, Darwin, NT, March 2019]

Juvenile Blue-winged Kookaburra whacking its stick against the branch it is sitting on (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Botanical Gardens, Darwin, NT, March 2019]

Food, Diet

Blue-winged Kookaburra with its prey, a locust (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, December 2019]

Blue-winged Kookaburra with its prey, a caterpillar (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Stanage Bay, QLD, July 2021]

Frontal view of a Blue-winged Kookaburra that has caught a huntsman spider (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Oak Valley NR, Townsville, QLD, September 2020]

Dorsal view of a female Blue-winged Kookaburra with its prey, a crab (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Botanical Gardens, Darwin, NT, March 2019]

The female Blue-winged Kookaburra brought the prey to a perch... (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Botanical Gardens, Darwin, NT, March 2019]

Female, left, with a dependent juvenile Blue-winged Kookaburra; note the young bird's dark cap and brown tail with blue centre (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Botanical Gardens, Darwin, NT, March 2019]

Female Blue-winged Kookaburra handing over the food to its young... (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Botanical Gardens, Darwin, NT, March 2019]

... transfer complete! (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Botanical Gardens, Darwin, NT, March 2019]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

blwkook_pb_20200122.m4a leachii
(Top End, NT)
Territorial calls (3 birds) © ME
blwkook_me_20190808.m4a leachii
(Far-N QLD)
Territorial calls (pair) © ME

More Blue-winged Kookaburra sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.