'Watchful' the Laughing Kookaburra Wooden Disc

This artwork has been hand painted with highly concentrated ink on a thick wooden disc. 

About this bird:
The Laughing Kookaburra (aka, ‘bushman’s alarm clock’ or ‘the laughing jackass’) is native to eastern Australia, with introduced populations in Tasmania, Flinders Island, Kangaroo Island and New Zealand. It is the largest member of the kingfisher family in the world, however, its diet is more like a bird of prey - exploiting a variety of food sources not dependent on bodies of water, including snakes (up to 1m long)! They grab them behind the head and smack them on the ground, sometimes dropping them from midair for tenderizing! Parents often give their chicks small snakes for practice. They may be skilled hunters but kookaburras still have to worry about becoming the meal of large owls, eagles, hawks and falcons (and predators such as introduced foxes and cats). Its famous ‘laugh’ can be heard at any time of the day but is most often at dawn and dusk, to signal their territory to other birds. According to one indigenous Australian legend, the laughing kookaburra’s song is a signal for the sky people to light the sun each morning. They live in almost any area with trees big enough to contain their nests and open patches with sufficient hunting areas. They live in families, with siblings remaining in the family till they are old enough to look after themselves, also acting as helpers during the breeding season. They are quite happy to interact with humans and will even eat out of peoples hands or swoop in and snag a treat! Kookaburras stay with their mate for life and will use the same nest hole in a tree trunk or arboreal termite nest year after year. Conservation Status: Least Concern.