the biggest and most known representative of the tree-kingfishers or Lieste is the Jägerliest or laughing Hans.
Spread it lives in Australia, particularly in the eastern and southern part. Here, it is called also Kookaburra by the natives. The laughing Hans can adapt himself to different habitats, frequently is found in water-proximity, however.
Nutrition it consumes insects, reptiles and small mammals, whom it carries off in open forest-terrain or to increasing extents in parks and gardens. it catches crabs, mussels and fish in the shallow water. Occasionally, the birds act as nest-robbers; they don't stop also before chicks of house-chickens on that occasion. Nevertheless the laughing Hans is popular with Australia's inhabitants since it on the other hand itself kills poisonous snakes.
Way of life Usually one finds the birds in pairs, they can form also smaller troops. Above all in the morning and in sunset sounds a loud shouting, that reminds of human life, in fact with such regularity, at many places simultaneously that is spoken from the "bush-man-clock" in Australia. The "laughter" of the birds begins quietly and increases to a booming noise, "so that one believes maniac in a horde, they before laughter yell."
Brood The nests frequently are positioned in caves of old rubber-trees, but also hollowed out nests of tree-termites can serve as brood-cave. A nest contains 2 - 4 white eggs. Sewers itself robbers of the brood, the laughing Hans defends it quite successfully with its dangerous beak.
Legends It doesn't stay away that such a showy bird had an influence on also the habits of Australia's natives. So, legends were spun about it, that angedeihen left the bird consciously protection. The natives were Z. B. the solid conviction, that already an insult of the Kookaburra must result in a penalty.
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