Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree,
Merry merry king of the bush is he.
Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh, Kookaburra,
Gay your life must be!
The kookaburra is a uniquely Australian bird found sitting in gum trees, a name for the eucalyptus tree, in western and eastern Australia and even in Tasmania.
A type of kingfisher, kookaburras are also known as the Laughing Jackass (like the penguins we saw in South Africa) and the Bushman’s Clock. This appellation comes from their tendency to laugh from the tops of trees at dusk and in the early morning.
Want to hear a kookaburra laugh? It is an unmistakable call sounding uncannily like loud, echoing human laughter – good-natured and hearty, but rather hysterical.
MedFlies 