Kookaburra on Russell Island

He is a young bird and he took residence on Roman’s balcony with his eyes on the swallows nest where 2 fledglings were being protected by a horde of swallows swooping the young Kookaburra.

He refused the dog food pellets we offered him…

He had his beady eye on the tiny mud swallows nest which has 2 baby birds inside

Mother Bird hovered anxiously on the nearby light whilst hordes of swallows dive bombed the Kookaburra who simply sat there and waited. Mother bird was quite anxious

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kookaburra

Kookaburras (genus Dacelo) are terrestrial tree kingfishers native to Australia and New Guinea. They are large to very large, with a total length of 28–42 cm (11–17 in). The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri guuguubarra, and is onomatopoeic of its call. The single member of the genus Clytoceyx, though commonly referred to as the Shovel-billed Kookaburra, is not treated in this article.

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)

Kookaburras are carnivorous. In the wild, kookaburras are known to eat the young of other birds, mice, snakes, insects and small reptiles and other small birds, such as finches if they are lucky enough to catch them. In zoos, they are usually fed food for birds of prey, and dead baby chicks.

Kookaburras will eat lizards, snakes, insects, mice, other small birds, and raw meat. The most social birds will accept handouts from humans and will take raw or cooked meat (even if at high temperature) from on or near open-air barbecues left unattended. It is generally not advised to feed kookaburras too regularly as meat alone does not include calcium and other nutrients essential to the bird. Remainders of mince on the bird’s beak can fester and cause problems for the bird.

They are territorial, and except for the Rufous-bellied often live with the partly grown chicks of the previous season.They often sing as a chorus to mark their territory.