Dacelo novaeguineae Skull Replica or Laughing Kookaburra measures 4.5 inches. Dacelo novaeguineae Skull Replica is museum quality polyurethane cast. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Made in USA.
The Laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is a bird in the kingfisher subfamily Halcyoninae. It is a large robust kingfisher with a whitish head and a brown eye-stripe.
The Dacelo novaeguineae or Laughing kookaburra is the largest species of kingfisher, outsizing even the giant kingfisher in body mass.
It is a stout, stocky bird 16–19 in. in length, with a large head, prominent brown eyes, and a long and robust bill.
The sexes are very similar, although the female Dacelo novaeguineae or Laughing kookaburra is usually larger and has less blue to the rump than the male. The male weighs 6.9–15.9 and the female 6.7–16.4 oz.
They have a white or cream-colored body and head with a dark brown stripe across each eye and more faintly over the top of the head. The wings and back are brown with sky blue spots on the shoulders.
The tail is rusty reddish-orange with dark brown bars and white tips on the feathers. The heavy bill is black on top and bone-colored on the bottom.
The Dacelo novaeguineae or Laughing kookaburra can be distinguished from the similarly sized blue-winged kookaburra by its dark eye, dark eye-stripe, shorter bill and the smaller and duller blue areas on the wing and rump.
The name “Laughing kookaburra” refers to the bird’s “laugh”, which it uses to establish territory among family groups. It can be heard at any time of day, but most frequently at dawn and dusk.
This species possesses a tracheo-bronchial syrinx, which creates two sources of vibrations so it can produce two frequencies at the same time with multiple harmonics.
The Dacelo novaeguineae or Laughing kookaburra call is made through a complex sound production system, by forcing air from the lungs into the bronchial tubes.
While the structure for producing calls is present from an early age, the kookaburra’s song is a learned behavior.
