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No federal permit to keep

Laughing kookaburra

Dacelo novaeguineae

Also known as Kookaburra

Birds › Kookaburras (Coraciiformes) › Alcedinidae (Kookaburras)

The laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is a bird in the kingfisher subfamily Halcyoninae.

Zoos & aquariums

Experience: Advanced

FamilyKookaburras

Record lifespan26.8 years

Adult weight11.4 oz

Kept byZoos & aquariums

Care at a glance

Species-specific values

Values researched for this exact species. Where they differ from the group guide below, follow these. Air, surface and water temperatures are listed separately, and each source is kept as published rather than averaged.

Adult length	up to: 46 cm Source largest laughing-kookaburra length; not a cage measurement.	337
Social	Natural family groups include a breeding pair and older offspring that help rear young. Natural social structure; managed introductions require individual assessment.	337

Warnings

Mostly kept by zoos, public aquariums, sanctuaries or licensed facilities. The guide below describes professional husbandry so you can understand the animal, not as encouragement to keep one privately.

Care guide

Group care guide

Kingfishers and kookaburras

Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: Kingfishers occupy wooded and aquatic habitats worldwide, while the listed laughing kookaburra inhabits Australian woodlands and open forests with tree cavities. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.

These captive details address laughing kookaburras. Fishing kingfishers need aquatic hunting facilities and fish-based diets; these terrestrial arrangements cannot cover them. Fish should not dominate a kookaburra diet. Outdoor cold tolerance requires shelter and monitoring; AZA also calls for caution above 90 F.

Housing & setup

For laughing kookaburras, AZA suggests at least 8 x 10 x 7 ft per bird; larger is preferable.
Use sturdy natural perches with rough bark and clearance from walls to protect feet and feathers.
Provide open hunting space below perches, earth or mulch substrate, and bathing water.
Provide visual refuge and sheltered heat below 40 F outdoor air, an intervention threshold.
Remove dropped prey and cast pellets daily; avoid dense planting.

Sources 408 409 410

Diet

Whole mice, including hoppers, as a principal captive kookaburra food.
Crickets and giant mealworms, with calcium balance addressed by the nutritionist.
Earthworms as a rotational food item.
Day-old chicks within a varied, professionally formulated prey diet.

Sources 408 409 410

Social life

Laughing kookaburras usually live in compatible pairs or family groups. Do not introduce unfamiliar same-sex adults; territorial attacks are likely.

Sources 408 409 410

Handling

Use positive reinforcement for voluntary weighing and carrier entry.
Only trained handlers should work birds on the hand; be alert to bites and strikes.

Sources 408 409 410

Health watch

Foot and toenail problems with unsuitable perching.
Feather abrasion from perches too close to walls.
Injuries from territorial aggression.

Sources 408 409 410

Understanding the animal

About this animal

It is a large kingfisher with a whitish head and a brown eye-stripe. The upperparts are mostly dark brown but there is a mottled light-blue patch on the wing coverts.

Quoted from the Wikipedia article “Laughing kookaburra” (CC BY-SA 4.0) 174

In the wild

Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.

Overview	The laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) is a bird in the kingfisher subfamily Halcyoninae. It is a large kingfisher with a whitish head and a brown eye-stripe. The upperparts are mostly dark brown but there is a mottled light-blue patch on the wing coverts. The underparts are cream-white and the tail is barred with rufous and black. — Wikipedia (community-edited)
Where it lives	Kookaburras live in medium to dense woodland areas that are typically wet and cold. — Animal Diversity Web
Wild diet	The Kookaburra can be described as insectivorous as well as carnivorous. — Animal Diversity Web
Behavior	Kookaburras are territorial and occupy the same well-defined territory all year long. — Animal Diversity Web
Reproduction	The Kookaburra's nest is usually 30 feet high in the air and is typically found in a hole in the Mountain Gum Tree. — Animal Diversity Web
Appearance and size	The Kookaburra is 45cm long and weighs approximately one pound (.5 kg). — Animal Diversity Web
History and naming	The laughing kookaburra was first described and illustrated (in black and white) by the French naturalist and explorer Pierre Sonnerat in his Voyage à la nouvelle Guinée, which was published in 1776. He claimed to have seen the bird in New Guinea. In fact Sonnerat never visited New Guinea and the laughing kookaburra does not occur there. — Wikipedia (community-edited)

Native climate (measured)

Warm-season highs	about 80°F (up to 86°F in the hottest sampled areas)
Cool-season lows	about 45°F (down to 39°F in the coldest sampled areas)
Average temperature	57–69°F across sampled records
Relative humidity	68–72% on average (driest month about 64%)
Rainfall	about 1218 mm a year, spread fairly evenly

Measured at 77 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.

Profile

Researched for this exact species. Sources are listed under In the wild above.

History

The laughing kookaburra was first described and illustrated (in black and white) by the French naturalist and explorer Pierre Sonnerat in his Voyage à la nouvelle Guinée, which was published in 1776. He claimed to have seen the bird in New Guinea. In fact Sonnerat never visited New Guinea and the laughing kookaburra does not occur there.

Data and studies

Researched care notes

Findings checked against veterinary, zoo, welfare, keeper and peer-reviewed sources. Air, basking-surface and water temperatures are kept separate, and where sources disagree both are shown. “Study” notes report what a paper measured, not a universal rule.

Laughing Kookaburra (species)

The guideline suggests 8 × 10 × 7 ft per bird, with the final dimension being height, and encourages more usable flight space. Do not label this a validated breeding-group minimum.¹
Provide separated natural perches, open flight routes, hiding and bathing options, and height choices.¹
Provide sheltered heat when outdoor temperatures fall below approximately 4.4°C. This is an outdoor protection trigger, not a normal indoor setpoint.¹

Laughing kookaburra ambassador-animal guidelines

The numbers

Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.

Maximum recorded lifespan

Highest reported26.8years

AnAge 16226.8

Myhrvold et al. 16311.3

Longest recorded lifespan reported by each database; typical lifespans are usually shorter. The AnAge record comes from an animal in human care.

Typical adult weight

Average of sources11.4oz

AnAge 16210.8

Myhrvold et al. 16312

Average adult body mass in each database (FishBase gives the maximum recorded weight).

Clutch size

Reported2.5eggs

Myhrvold et al. 1632.5

Average per litter or clutch.

Incubation

Average of sources25days

AnAge 16225

Myhrvold et al. 16325

Female maturity

Reported12months

AnAge 16212

Veterinary & husbandry research

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae septicemia in a Laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) Opriessnig T et al., Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation: official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc 2005

Peer-reviewed papers that mention this species alongside captivity, zoos, veterinary care or aquaculture. Some cover several species or mention it only in passing, so check the abstract. 170

Federal legal snapshot

No federal permit to keep

USDA Animal Welfare Act (birds). Since USDA's 2023 bird standards, most commercial bird dealers and exhibitors (and many breeders who sell wholesale) need an Animal Welfare Act license, with some exemptions for small-scale breeders and retail sellers. Keeping your own pet bird doesn't. 184

State law decides most of it. Each state sets its own permits and bans for exotic, native, venomous and dangerous animals, and cities and counties can be stricter. Find your state agency →

Animal Welfare Act standards

Birds (Subpart G). Applies to USDA-licensed or registered dealers, exhibitors (including encounters and paid programs) and research facilities. Private pet owners are not covered. These are legal minimums, not best care; the species care on this page goes further.

Indoor air temperature, humidity and any pool or water-feature temperature must suit the species and prevent discomfort or distress. §3.151
Birds may not be housed outdoors unless acclimated to the local temperature and humidity. §3.152
Enclosures must let birds stay dry and clean, give shade for every bird at once (including low-ranking ones), and have floors and perches that protect feet and legs. §3.153
A species-appropriate environment enhancement plan is required, approved by the attending veterinarian: social grouping plus enrichment such as perches, swings, objects to manipulate, varied food and foraging or task-oriented feeding. §3.154
Socially dependent birds, such as clutch-mates, must be housed together unless the veterinarian exempts them; birds may only share space with compatible animals. §3.160
The diet must suit the species, size, age and condition of the bird, with potable water in sufficient quantity; pools and water features must be kept clean. §3.155

Source: 9 CFR Part 3, current eCFR text (USDA APHIS Animal Care).

Kept in captivity?

Every species on this site needs evidence that people actually keep it. For this one:

Included in our hand-checked list of animals kept as pets, livestock or in zoos
AnAge has a longevity record from an animal in captivity
881 iNaturalist observations of captive animals

Sources for this sheet

AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database (Human Ageing Genomic Resources) Peer-reviewed researchCurated, referenced longevity and life-history records for thousands of species; maximum lifespans are often from zoo animals.
Myhrvold et al. (2015). An amniote life-history database. Ecology 96: 3109 Peer-reviewed researchPeer-reviewed compilation of life-history data for over 21,000 birds, mammals and reptiles.
9 CFR 2.1: Animal Welfare Act licensing (USDA) Zoo, university or veterinaryWho needs a USDA license to breed, sell or exhibit animals.
AZA: Laughing Kookaburra Ambassador Animal Care Guidelines (2020) Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: Laughing Kookaburra Zoo, university or veterinaryAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
Animal Diversity Web: Alcedinidae Peer-reviewed researchAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) Peer-reviewed researchInternational scientific taxonomy used here for classification.
Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Peer-reviewed researchIndex of peer-reviewed veterinary, zoo and husbandry research.
iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.