Kookaburra

This feathered comedian sits perched on a suburban fence scanning for what crawls the ground or pokes a careless head up to break the surface of a backyard pond, stropps its beak to clean off the leftovers from its last kill, lifts its head and laughs. But there is no frivolity trumpeting from its throat, only a triumphant boast, a warning to all held in the cross hairs of its sight that it owns this acre. A rush of blood lifts a sudden flare of wings and powers a plunging terror towards the unwary. Then, bloated, it squats on a high branch with its blunt head motionless, eyes locked in a meditative stare. It cares little for the honour it has in the hierarchy of native species, or that its laugh is almost elevated to the status of the National prayer. Note. The Kookaburra is a bird belonging to the Kingfisher family and is endemic to Australia, particularly the east coast. It is celebrated for its distinctive laughing call. In a way the Kookaburra symbolises the irreverent side to the National character.