In this exciting episode Kristen tells Maeve about the Laughing Kookaburra, a request sent in by our listener Eoin. Famous for it's breathtaking "laughing call," this bird is the only member of the kingfisher family that does not eat fish. The Laughing Kookaburra is endemic to Australia, maintains multi-generational family units, and is super cute to boot. Our hosts also discuss how this bird's iconic call has been used and misused by Hollywood, and they also include two musical representations of the Laughing Kookaburra. 

Starting two weeks from now, we will transition back to our weekly episode release schedule, and every other episode will be a segment about birds in the news. 

Research for today’s episode came from the following sources:

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2005/12/blockbuster-movies-turn-lab-ornithology-blockbuster-sounds

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/laughing-kookaburra

https://australian.museum/learn/animals/birds/laughing-kookaburra/

Additional Resources:

Video of a kookaburra calling from the Brookfield Zoo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jW7A2glZbk

Meet Taco, a laughing Kookaburra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lZt-JLhsg4

Kookaburra song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2VitpGRalw

Opening scene to Raider’s of the Lost Ark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWLjtvbGuoo

If you liked Brandon's Kookaburra song, you can check out some of his other music at https://www.youtube.com/@CSPAN4archives

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Thanks for listening, and happy birding!