Discover Australia $1 2012 1 oz Colored Proof Silver Kookaburra Coin w/Mint Box & COA

Kookaburras (genus Dacelo) are terrestrial tree kingfishers native to Australia. They are large to very large, with a total length of eleven to eighteen inches. The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri guuguubarra, and is onomatopoeic of its call. Kookaburras are best known for their unmistakable call, which sounds uncannily like loud, echoing human laughter — good-natured, but rather hysterical, merriment in the case of the renowned Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae); and maniacal cackling in the case of the slightly smaller Blue-winged Kookaburra (D. leachii). They are generally not closely associated with water, and can be found in habitats ranging from humid forest to arid savanna, but also in suburban and residential areas with tall trees or near running water and where food can be searched for easily.