Rare white kookaburra particular to Brisbane’s southeast returns

A rare white kookaburra has been spotted in Brisbane’s southeast suburbs in a corridor that has had at least two other sightings over the past 25 years.

A white kookaburra photographed at Carina Heights.

CARINA Heights residents have reported the return of a white kookaburra in the Salvin Creek corridor.

A resident who photographed the rare kookaburra said he had seen one frequenting the area 10 years ago and noticed the young white kookaburra in recent months.

He said the bird’s eyes appeared to be normal, indicating it was not albino but a unique genetic variant in the area.

The young white kookaburra photographed at Carina Heights with a laughing kookaburra.

In 2013 residents in adjoining Mt Gravatt East filmed a white kookaburra reported to be part of two large family groups of kookaburras.

B4C catchment manager Wayne Cameron said there was a white kookaburra spotted in the Salvin Creek corridor at Carina Heights in the mid-90s when the group set up Friends of Salvin Creek.

“This highlights the importance of local genetics and the uniqueness of local areas and why we have to look after our urban habitat,” Mr Cameron said.

Urban ecologist Griffith University Professor Darryl Jones said the white kookaburra was particular to the area, reported in two locations, Carina Heights-Mt Gravatt East and Mt Gravatt-Nathan.

“It is very rare,” Prof Jones said.

“The thing about albino anything is that they are so conspicuous they are stand-outs for predators. This one is probably big enough to escape the normal predators such as hawks.

“This one is not albino at all. It is loss of pigment in the colouration of the feathers. To have that gene, it is pretty unusual.

“A couple of them have been around in this area. There is a white gene in the gene pool that pops up every now and again.

“There is something about it that makes this gene persist. It is so rare, it has never been studied in terms of ecology.”

There are four species of kookaburra found in Australia, New Guinea and the Aru Islands. The laughing kookaburra, which is off-white below with brown on the back and wings and a dark-brown eye stripe through the face, is native to eastern Australia.

The young white kookaburra has been spotted in recent months.