BIRDS OF PREY at EXMOOR OWL & HAWK CENTRE
A Collection of Birds of Prey (and Kookaburra!)
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We have a small collection of birds of prey as well as the owls, and hope that you will enjoy their photos, and find the natural history of these incredible birds as fascinating as we do. We can all learn a great deal from out companion animals.

Kookaburra, 'Cookie'
Dacelo novaeguineae,

 

Kookaburras (genus Dacelo) are large to very large (total length 28–42 cm/11-17 in) terrestrial kingfishers native to Australia and New Guinea, the name a loanword from Wiradjuri guuguubarra, which is onomatopoeic of its call.
Kookaburras are carnivorous. They 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 the birds 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 often live with the partly grown chicks of the previous season. They often sing as a chorus to mark their territory.
In the wild, kookaburras are known to eat babies of other birds and snakes, and insects and small reptiles and even 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.

Contact us: Cathy & Rod, West Lynch Farm, Allerford, Nr Porlock,
Somerset TA24 8HJ  
House
: +44 (0) 1643 862816;   Mobile: +44 (0) 7855-323464
; exmoor.falcon@virgin.net