Banded Kingfisher vs Laughing Kookaburra
Lacedo pulchella compared with Dacelo novaeguineae
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Banded Kingfisher | Laughing Kookaburra |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Lacedo pulchella | Dacelo novaeguineae |
| Order | Coraciiformes | Coraciiformes |
| Family | Alcedinidae | Alcedinidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 43.0 cm (16.9 in) |
| Wingspan | 16.4 cm (6.5 in) | 65.0 cm (25.6 in) |
| Weight | 47.525 g (1.68 oz) | 340.0 g (11.99 oz) |
| Diet | -- | Insects, lizards, snakes, small mammals, birds, and crustaceans. A sit-and-wait predator that swoops from a … |
| Clutch Size | 2-5 | 1-5 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Laughing Kookaburra
Eucalyptus forests, woodland, and suburban gardens throughout eastern and southwestern Australia.
Song & Call Comparison
Banded Kingfisher
Laughing Kookaburra
The eponymous call: a loud, rollicking laughter 'koo-koo-koo-ka-ka-ka-ka', rising then falling. Family groups call together creating a cacophony. Iconic sound of the Australian bush.
Geographic Range & Migration
Banded Kingfisher
Laughing Kookaburra
Eastern Australia from Cape York to South Australia and Tasmania. Introduced to southwestern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand.
Conservation Status
Banded Kingfisher
Laughing Kookaburra
How to Tell Them Apart
Banded Kingfisher
Laughing Kookaburra
Brown upperparts with blue patches on the wings and rump. Creamy white head and underparts with a dark eye stripe. Dark brown tail with rufous barring.
Very large, heavy, dark upper mandible and pale lower mandible
About These Birds
Banded Kingfisher
The Banded Kingfisher is a strikingly colored kingfisher of the family Alcedinidae found in lowland forests of Southeast Asia. Weighing about 47.5g with a wingspan of 16.4cm, males display brilliant blue and rufous banding while females are barred brown. Unlike many kingfishers, it typically hunts insects and lizards rather than fish.
Laughing Kookaburra
The laughing kookaburra is the largest kingfisher in the world, famous for its raucous laughing call that has become an iconic sound of the Australian bush. Despite being a kingfisher, it rarely eats fish, preferring terrestrial prey. Family groups perform chorus calls at dawn and dusk to mark their territory.