This Australian icon was originally found only on the eastern side of the continent but has been introduced to Tasmania, south-west of Western Australia and New Zealand. They are similar to the Blue-winged Kookaburra and have some overlap in Queensland, however the Blue-winged has far more, brighter, blue.
They live in family groups in woodland and forests but are quite common in semi-urban areas and are well known for their laughing call, which seems almost synonymous with the Australian bush, this laughter serves the same purpose as many other bird calls—to demarcate territorial borders.
They hunt by perching on a convenient branch or wire and waiting patiently for prey to pass by, common prey include mice and similar-sized small mammals, large insects, lizards, small birds, nestlings and snakes.
Male and female adults are similar and are believed to pair for life. The nest is a bare chamber in a naturally occurring tree hollow or in a burrow excavated in an arboreal termite mound. Both sexes share the incubation duties and both care for the young, the offspring of the previous one to two years act as 'helpers' during the breeding season, sharing all parenting duties.