Miller Park Zoo welcomes new kookaburra chick

[May 21, 2013]  BLOOMINGTON -- For the first time in the facility's 122-year history, a laughing kookaburra chick has hatched at Bloomington's Miller Park Zoo. The chick hatched on April 8, and the proud parents are a pair of kookaburras that were introduced to the zoo in 2011 (the male) and 2012 (the female). They are currently the top breeding pair in the country. The family is on display in the zoo's Australia exhibit area.

The kookaburra is the largest of the kingfishers. It has one of the best-known calls in the animal kingdom, a rising "kook-kook-kook ka ka ka" made famous in jungle movies. The bird's cackling calls can be heard over great distances and are usually raised in a loud chorus of crazy "laughter" at dawn and dusk. Kookaburras mate for life and live in extended family groups. They usually occupy the same territory year-round. They nest in hollow trees, termite nests, or nooks and crevices of buildings.

"It's always exciting to welcome a new animal to the zoo," says Jay Tetzloff, zoo superintendent. "Since this is the first laughing kookaburra chick ever born at Miller Park Zoo, that makes it even more special. I encourage everyone to come out and see the new addition!"

[Text from Miller Park Zoo news release received from Bloomington Parks & Recreation]