Kookaburra
/ˈkʊkəˌbʌrə/noun
An Australian kingfisher known for its loud, laughter-like call.
Did you know?Kookaburra comes from an Aboriginal Australian name traditionally associated with the bird’s repeated, laughter-like call rather than from a European myth or occult tradition.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-European Australia
Wiradjuri
guuguubarra
“A traditional Indigenous name for the laughing kookaburra, likely echoing its call.”
18th–19th Century
Australian Aboriginal languages
gugubarra
“Variant forms of the bird’s name recorded by European observers.”
19th Century
Colonial Australian English
kookaburra
“An English rendering of Aboriginal Australian forms of the name.”
Late 19th Century
English
kookaburra
“The Australian kingfisher, especially the laughing kookaburra.”
Modern English
English
kookaburra
“A familiar name for several large Australian kingfishers, especially Dacelo novaeguineae.”
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