kookaburra

American  

[kook-uh-bur-uh, -buhr-uh] / ˈkʊk əˌbɜr ə, -ˌbʌr ə /

noun

1. an Australian kingfisher, Dacelo gigas, having a loud, harsh cry that resembles laughter.

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kookaburra British  

/ ˈkʊkəˌbʌrə /

noun

1. Also called: laughing jackass.  a large arboreal Australian kingfisher, Dacelo novaeguineae (or gigas ), with a cackling cry

2. Also called: blue-winged kookaburra.  a related smaller bird D. Leachii , of tropical Australia and New Guinea

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Etymology

Origin of kookaburra

First recorded in 1885–90, kookaburra is from the Wiradjuri word gugubarra (imitative)

Example Sentences

Australians are well accustomed to swooping birds - there's plovers, noisy miners and even the kookaburra.

From BBC • Sep. 28, 2023

In a country featuring some unique native fauna, the animal emblems of New South Wales are the platypus and kookaburra.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 20, 2023

An Australian man has used his time in lockdown to create a 750kg sculpture of a laughing kookaburra that he says will bring joy to the community in bleak times.

From The Guardian • May 26, 2020

“The laughing kookaburra is another standard example,” Jody wrote.

From Washington Post • Sep. 16, 2019

And very well our kookaburra knows the fact.

From Peeps At Many Lands: Australia by Spence, Percy F. S. (Percy Frederick Seaton)