In 2003, the New Atlas of Australian Birds listed the laughing kookaburra as abundant. By 2015, The State of Australia's Birds report noted them as being in major decline. What changed?

Kookaburra peered down at the ground and spied a mouse. He launched himself from his perch in the treetops and pounced upon that mouse, and when he had conquered his prey, he began to laugh.

The kookaburra is a native Australian bird that makes a very unique sound - like a person laughing. ‘Kookaburra’ starts with a /k/ [ke] sound, which can sometimes be confused with the /g/ [ge] ...