The mascots of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney were three native Australian animals: olly, the kingfisher Olly, the platypus Syd and the echidna Millie. The kingfisher is a large terrestrial kingfisher endemic to Australia and New Guinea, named after its human-like laughter.
The kingfisher is about 40 cm long and 8-10 cm long in the beak, making it one of the largest kingfishers in the kingfisher family. The kingfisher has a large white head, a small brown hat on the top, brown patches on the cheeks, a large and powerful black beak, a grayish-brown upper body, a grayish-white abdomen, and short gray legs.
In addition to eating fish, the kingfisher also preys on mice, frogs, lizards, crayfish, snails and insects, and can prey on reptiles that are much larger than themselves, and it is said that the snake hunting ability is excellent, and adult kingfishers can easily kill large snakes such as rattlesnakes, and will also attack larger umbrella lizards in groups.
Laughing kingfisher is not afraid of people, and hungry, often in the urban area activities, often after eating the food given by people do not go, but also "quack" smirk, people walk away it will even tail.
The kingfisher is also very clever, during the dry season, Australia's main tree species eucalyptus often causes large-scale fires because of its high oil content, and the kingfisher will follow the flames and comfortably pick up burned and frightened prey.
This set of photos I took in recent days at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, where several kingfishers live and are often encountered when I go for a run in the park in the morning.
The laughing kingfisher is usually very quiet, quietly lying on a low branch staring in one direction, like a quiet thinker.
The kingfisher gets its name for its call, but this laughter is usually not a kingfisher really laughing, but a territorial oath or courtship call.
The kingfisher is a common bird in the countryside of Australian cities and villages, and Australians love it so much that it was chosen as a mascot at the Sydney Olympics.
Although I have seen the laughing kingfisher countless times, I have not actually heard its laughter many times. It is said that they like to laugh at sunrise and sunset, I don't know if it is true.