Kookaburra's silent flight

[calyptorhynchus <>]

This morning whilst running in the dark on the path beside the Federal Golf Course in Hughes I saw a large bird take off from the ground just outside the beam of my running light. I thought it was a Kookaburra, but it rose 3 meters in the air nearly vertically then flew across the path and landed on a branch all in complete silence. I have seen Boobooks in flight on that path and Barn Owl could be a possibility so I turned around and checked the bird on the branch with my light. It was indeed a Kookaburra. 

So, very impressive that this bird can also fly silently, and a big help, I should think, in its hunting. I'd never realised before that it had this adaptation.

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John Leonard