Miller Park Zoo welcomes new kookaburra chick
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[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.
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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.
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"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] |