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kookaburra

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kook⋅a⋅bur⋅ra

[kook-uh-bur-uh, -buhr-uh]
–noun
an Australian kingfisher, Dacelo gigas, having a loud, harsh cry that resembles laughter.
Also called laughing jackass.


Origin:
1885–90; < Wiradjuri gugubarra (imit.)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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kook·a·bur·ra   (kŏŏk'ə-bûr'ə, -bŭr'ə)   
n.  A large kingfisher (Dacelo novaeguineae) of southern and eastern Australia, having brown and white plumage and a call resembling raucous laughter. Also called laughing jackass.

[Wiradhuri (Aboriginal language of southeast Australia) gugubarra, of imitative origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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