Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii)

Other Names (World)
Blue-winged Kookaburra, Blue-winged Kingfisher, Northern Blue-winged Kookaburra, Fawn-breasted Kingfisher, Leach's Kookaburra, Leach's Kingfisher, Barking Jackass, Howling Jackass, Jackass

Family
Alcedinidae (Kingfishers)

Size
40 - 45 cm

First Described (Guide)
Vigors & Horsfield, 1826

Derivation
Da-ce'-lo - anagram of alcedo, L., kingfisher: leachii - Dr. W.E. Leach (1790 - 1836), Keeper of Zoology, British Museum

Abundance (Guide)
C

Moderately common. Sedentary or local movements.

Habitat
Subtropical and tropical open forests and woodlands, mangroves, paperbark swamps, timbered watercourses, clearings, canefields, farmlands, dry savanna, pasturelands, plantations and urban areas. From sea-level - 600 m.

Range (Guide)

Australia (B), Indonesia (B), Papua New Guinea (B).

Image of Range of Blue-winged Kookaburra

From Shark Bay, Western Australia through northern tropical Australia to south-eastern Queensland.

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).

Status LC
Secure.

For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Habits
Usually in pairs or small groups.

Food
Small reptiles, including quite large snakes, insects, crabs, and fish.

Voice
A guttural 'klock-klock', developing into a cacophony of mechanical swuawks and screeches.

Listen to call of Blue-winged Kookaburra

(88Kb) © ? (1)

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (63)...)

Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii) [XC121884]
by Kakadu Nat Park: Fire Project (via Colin Trainor) from NBF08, Kakadu, West Arnhem Shire, Northern Territory, Indonesia (call)

Blue-winged Kookaburra (Dacelo leachii) [XC434380]
by Marc Anderson from Artemis Station, Queensland, Australia (song)

Breeding Season (Guide)
July - February.

Nest
In a hole in a tree.

Eggs (Guide)
1 - 4, usually 2; white; rounded; about 45 x 35 mm. Incubation: about 23 - 24 days; by members of the group.

Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in about 35 days. Fed by group.

Subspecies
Proposed subspecies mungi, formerly united with occidentalis, now included within nominate; cliftoni is synonym of occidentalis; superflua from southern New Guinea and kempi from northern Queensland (Cape York Peninsula) are insufficiently distinct to be accepted.

The following 6 subspecies are recognised:

leachii Vigors & Horsfield, 1826 - Across northern Australia east to Cape York Peninsula, south to Broome in western and to Brisbane (rarely, to Byron Bay) in E.
cervina Gould, 1838 - Melville Island and adjacent coastal areas of NT.
cliftoni Gould, 1870 - Hamersley and Pilbara Regions of WA. Synonymous with occidentalis.
intermedia Salvadori, 1876 - Southern and south-eastern New Guinea, from R Mimika to R Fly and from R Eloa to Amazon Bay.
superflua Mathews, 1918 - South-western New Guinea.
occidentalis Gould, 1870 - North-western Australia (Hamersley and Pilbara regions).

Similar Species
In eastern and north-eastern Australia possibly with Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae).

References
See References.

The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9

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