History Main / JunglesSoundLikeKookaburras

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959''. The episode "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E77TheJungle The Jungle]]" takes place in the African jungle, yet the kookaburra sound pops up.

* In ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'', a kookaburra sound is heard in the hidden jungles ''at the Earth's core''.

Subtrope of MisplacedWildlife (unless a story is set in Australia) and MusicAndSoundEffects.

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[[quoteright:300:[[ComicStrip/MarkTrail https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kookaburra.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[https://stevografix.com.au/birds/laughing-kookaburra.html Merry, merry king of the sound catalogue is he.]]]]

* ''Franchise/{{Tarzan}}''. Definitely the TropeCodifier, as this franchise, set in the African jungle, used the kookaburra sound effect first in the 1930s.
* ''Film/TheTreasureOfTheSierraMadre''. When the protagonists enter the Mexican forest a kookaburra can be heard in the background, despite not living there at all.

* ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' has a kookaburra laughing in the ActionPrologue when Indy is looking for treasure in the Amazon.
* ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction''. One scene takes place in the African jungle and yes, the kookaburra cackles again.
* One sonorized version of ''Film/TheLostWorld'' has the sound of the kookaburra used in the establishing shot of the jungles that the explorers are making their way through to the [[LostWorld plateau]].
* ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'': Kookaburras can be heard on the tropical Isla Sorna, a fictional island that is supposed to be west of UsefulNotes/CostaRica.
* In ''Film/TheNakedGun'', Frank Drebin hears a Kookaburra shouting when he [[https://youtu.be/LIoj0Cc9uEQ?t=26 gets lost in the hills of Los Angeles]].
* ''Film/SpyHard'' parodied this. As a spy sneaks into a secret base in a Caribbean jungle, a bunch of jungle sounds can be heard, including the kookaburra call. Then the camera moves to the side a little, where we see that a guard is making all these sounds, while reading from a book: ''The Cries of Common Jungle Animals''.

* In ''Film/RevengeOfTheCreature'' the kookaburra is heard during the opening scenes, in the Amazon river basin of South America. Drawn attention to when the film appeared on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'': "Hey, it's the 'ooh-ooh-ooh-oh-oh-ah-ah-ah-ah' creature."
* In ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', a kookaburra can briefly be heard in the forest. Could be explained away by noting that Oz is a DreamLand.
* In ''Film/ObjectiveBurma'' (1945), the kookaburra is heard early in the movie, in Burma (which is not Australia).

* In ''Film/BlackNarcissus'', the kookaburra can be heard in the bamboo forests of Himalayan foothills.
* In ''Film/WestOfZanzibar'' (1954), kookaburras can be heard while the poachers are hunting for elephants. Zanzibar is in Tanzania, in eastern Africa, which you will note is not Australia.

* In ''Film/CapeFear'' (1962), a kookaburra sound appears during the third act of the film, along the Cape Fear River in North Carolina, USA. Given that a kookaburra sound is usually assumed to be a monkey, note that there are neither kookaburras nor monkeys native to the American South.
* In Jess Franco’s ''Film/CountDracula1970'', a kookaburra can be heard in the Borgo Pass, aka the Tihuta Pass of Romania.
* ''Film/{{Francis}}'' (1950) is set in Burma. Not only are there sound effects of kookaburras, in one jungle scene a sulfur crested cockatoo is shown in the branches.
* Kookaburra sounds can be heard in ''Film/RomancingTheStone'' in the segments that are set in the Colombian jungle.
* When Spencer first arrives in the jungle in ''Film/JumanjiWelcomeToTheJungle'', the distinctive cries of kookaburras can be distinctly heard. The fictional land of Jumanji features wildlife from all over the globe, so kookaburras might actually be native.
* Bethany is in South America at the beginning of ''Film/JumanjiTheNextLevel'', and the distinct laugh is heard next to a waterfall.
* In ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'', a kookaburra sound is heard in the hidden jungles ''at the Earth's core''.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959''. The episode "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E77TheJungle The Jungle]]" takes place in the African jungle, yet the kookaburra sound pops up.

* The ambient noise used throughout ''My Exotic Farm'' includes a kookaburra.

* In ''WesternAnimation/DuckAmuck'', WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck of all birds makes this classic jungle StockSoundEffect of a bird noise. Also counts as a SillyAnimalSound as Daffy is a duck.
* A rare instance of the sound being used appropriately, given the location, A kookaburra can be heard at the beginning of the opening theme to ''WesternAnimation/TazMania''.

* The old pirate serial ''The Buccaneers'' repeatedly uses kookaburra sound effects. It's set mostly in the Bahamas.

The thing, though, is that this bird is actually only native to [[UsefulNotes/AustralianWildlife northern Australia and New Guinea]][[note]][[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and the islands between the two[[/note]], yet in popular culture you can hear him in every tropical forest from Latin America over Africa to Asia. Still, the kookaburra laugh has become so prominent for scenes taking place in a jungle that creators will still add it to the soundtrack, because [[TheCoconutEffect somehow it just doesn't sound the same without it.]]

The thing, though, is that this bird is actually only native to [[UsefulNotes/AustralianWildlife Australia]], yet in popular culture you can hear him in every tropical forest from Latin America over Africa to Asia. Still, the kookaburra laugh has become so prominent for scenes taking place in a jungle that creators will still add it to the soundtrack, because [[TheCoconutEffect somehow it just doesn't sound the same without it.]]

* "Jungle Love" by [[Music/PrincesAssociates Morris Day and the Time]] starts with a kookaburra sound over the song.

** In ''Film/RevengeOfTheCreature'' the kookaburra is heard during the opening scenes, in the Amazon river basin of South America.
*** Drawn attention to when the film appeared on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''. "Hey, it's the 'ooh-ooh-ooh-oh-oh-ah-ah-ah-ah' creature."

** Bethany is in South America at the beginning of ''Film/JumanjiTheNextLevel'', and the distinct laugh is heard next to a waterfall.

* In ''Film/RevengeOfTheCreature'' the kookaburra is heard during the opening scenes, in the Amazon river basin of South America.
** Drawn attention to when the film appeared on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''. "Hey, it's the 'ooh-ooh-ooh-oh-oh-ah-ah-ah-ah' creature."

* When Spencer first arrives in the jungle in ''Film/JumanjiWelcomeToTheJungle'', the distinctive cries of kookaburras can be distinctly heard. Of course, the fictional land of Jumanji features wildlife from all over the globe, so kookaburras might actually be native.

[[folder:Film]]

* A kookaburra laugh is heard in the opening scene of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Jungle Book|1967}}'', which takes place in the jungles of India.

* Oddly averted in, of all places, ''WesternAnimation/FernGullyTheLastRainforest''. The movie takes place in an Australian rainforest, where one would expect to find kookaburras, yet there are none to be heard.

It should be noted that Australia does have areas of tropical jungle in the northeast (though presumably you don't always hear a kookaburra the moment you enter them). Incidentally, the kookaburra's habitat is not limited to jungles either; the only thing it really needs are open bodies of water, as it is, in fact, a species of kingfisher.

* In ''West of Zanzibar'' (1954), kookaburras can be heard while the poachers are hunting for elephants. Zanzibar is in Tanzania, in eastern Africa, which you will note is not Australia.

* In Jess Franco’s ''Count Dracula'' (1970), a kookaburra can be heard in the Borgo Pass, aka the Tihuta Pass of Romania.
* ''Francis'' (1950) is set in Burma. Not only are there sound effects of kookaburras, in one jungle scene a sulfur crested cockatoo is shown in the branches.

* In ‘’WesternAnimation/DuckAmuck’’, WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck of all birds makes this classic jungle StockSoundEffect of a bird noise. Also counts as a SillyAnimalSound as Daffy is a duck.

* ''Film/TheLostWorld'': The sound of the kookaburra used in the establishing shot of the jungles that the explorers are making their way through to the [[LostWorld plateau]].

Subtrope of MisplacedWildlife (unless a story is set in Australia) and StockSoundEffect.

Subtrope of MisplacedWildlife (unless a story is set in Australia) and MusicAndSoundEffects.

It should be noted that Australia does have areas of tropical jungle the northeast (though presumably you don't always hear a kookaburra the moment you enter them). Incidentally, the kookaburra's habitat is not limited to jungles either; the only thing it really needs are open bodies of water, as it is, in fact, a species of kingfisher.

One of the StockSoundEffects that pop up whenever films, cartoons or TV series depict a jungle environment with a NoisyNature is the cackling laugh of the kookaburra, which sounds something like: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA0-YAoo9Q OOOOOO-HOOO-OOO-HOO-HOO-AHAHAHAHA]]" and is often assumed to be a monkey by people unfamiliar with the bird. It doesn't help much that we typically hear the sound without actually seeing the animal making it, thus adding to the confusion. The laugh sounds great and really puts in the right mood for a mysterious adventure set in an impenetrable jungle.

It should be noted that Australia does in fact areas of jungle/tropical rainforest in the northeast (though presumably you don't always hear a kookaburra the moment you enter them). Incidentally, the kookaburra's habitat is not limited to jungles either; the only thing it really needs are open bodies of water, as it is, in fact, a species of kingfisher.