It's the principle of the thing.

September 18, 2016 3:05 PM

Aussie Standoff. (slyt)

More kookaburras being dicks.
Birds being dicks to a kookaburra.
Bonus: I want to go to there.

posted by ApathyGirl (21 comments total)

Polish?
posted by Bee'sWing at 3:11 PM on September 18, 2016

Kookaburras are the best.
posted by awfurby at 3:24 PM on September 18, 2016

Man, dangling meat in front of a kookaburra like that is a good way to lose a finger. Don't get between meat and a kookaburra.

I once saw a kookaburra, mid flight, snatch the meat from a lady's sandwich as she was raising it to her mouth.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 3:27 PM on September 18, 2016 [9 favorites]

the guy from the "I want to go there" link gets in on the act: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj8NJfH0h84
posted by sineater at 3:32 PM on September 18, 2016 [5 favorites]

That wooden balcony overlooking the forest ravine...looks nice. I'll keep buying lottery tickets.
posted by bonobothegreat at 3:35 PM on September 18, 2016 [2 favorites]

The fight over the meat really might be about the principle of the thing. Kookaburras have a social structure and the dominant male will often feed the female and juveniles. If he doesn't get to do that, he's not the dominant male ...
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:59 PM on September 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

Well, I hear if they are in a gum tree they are a lot more happy and laugh a lot more. Surely one of them would have let go while laughing.
posted by Nanukthedog at 4:26 PM on September 18, 2016 [2 favorites]

Polish?

Russian (in the first video).
posted by hat_eater at 4:38 PM on September 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

I like the zoom in that starts at 2:24 in the second link.

Merry merry king of the bush is...Christ, what an asshole.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:39 PM on September 18, 2016

Kookaburras are total dicks. They start laughing at the crack of dawn.

Thought you would sleep in huh? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Still two hours until work? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
posted by adept256 at 7:36 PM on September 18, 2016

Kookaburras are total dicks. They start laughing at the crack of dawn.

Thought you would sleep in huh? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Still two hours until work? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

ftfy
posted by ApathyGirl at 9:34 PM on September 18, 2016

If I click on this link, am I going to have another Australian animal to be terrified of/call for the extermination of/want to petition the goverment to change the laws around self-defence devices so I can protect myself from?
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 10:27 PM on September 18, 2016

Has anyone done an FPP about swooping magpies yet?
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 10:28 PM on September 18, 2016

We don't dare
posted by um at 10:42 PM on September 18, 2016 [2 favorites]

There was a recent NY Times story about them that terrified me - my 'why don't we cull them or issue people weapons against them?' questions were met with bemusement.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 10:52 PM on September 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

they'll. hear. you.
posted by um at 11:02 PM on September 18, 2016 [4 favorites]

Magpies have distinctive yet understated plumage and a beautiful call. They are a treasured part of our environment and I, for one, think the random swooping attacks by scythe-laden harriers is a small price to pay for it.
posted by Joe in Australia at 11:13 PM on September 18, 2016 [4 favorites]

Do we say 'eponosyterical' here? Still, I do not consider my own comfort to be worth less than the rights of some undersized dinosaur descendant. Apparently, my countrymen disagree, though, and that disturbs and terrifies me.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 11:15 PM on September 18, 2016 [1 favorite]

Quite apart from anything else, they help keep the bloody snake population under control. I'll take being swooped a couple of times a year over surprise Red Belly Black in my kitchen thank you very much.
posted by arha at 1:57 AM on September 19, 2016 [1 favorite]

I love kookaburras. I said to my husband once "gosh, it's nice to have an iconic Australian animal that isn't somehow horrible." "They drop snakes from the sky," he responded. "What?!" I asked. "They do. They eat snakes. To kill them they fly up high with them and drop them. Then they eat them. They drop snakes from the sky."

... I still like kookaburras though.
posted by olinerd at 8:08 PM on September 19, 2016 [4 favorites]

Those people are behaving as if they think an Australian bird might understand a language that isn't English. They're on a hiding to nothing.
posted by flabdablet at 7:02 AM on September 20, 2016