Laughing Kookaburra

I got my first reasonable pictures of our iconic Australian Laughing Kookaburra.   A couple were in the same tree, but by the time I got the camera organised one had flown off.   They are a Tree Kingfisher and despite their name, don’t necessarily fish!  This is a Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) and is native to eastern Australia but introduced to Western Australia.  Male and female adults look similar, and I think this was a pair, they pair-bond for life.    They kept dropping down into the goat paddock for prey which hopefully will keep any mice attracted to the hay under control. They feed mostly on insects, worms and crustaceans but also eat mice, lizards, small birds, nestlings, and snakes.  I often catch glimpses of them flying silently through the trees – which seems strange as they are quite big birds.  In the evenings they call and cry to each other with their famous laughing call.