Kookaburras are carnivorous. They will eat lizards, snakes, insects, mice and raw meat. The more social birds will accept handouts from humans and will take raw or cooked meat (even if at high temperature) from on or near open-air barbecues left unattended. It is generally not advised to feed the birds too regularly as meat alone does not include calcium and other nutrients essential to the bird. Remainders of mince on the bird's beak can fester and cause problems for the bird.

They are territorial, and often live with the partly grown chicks of the previous season. They often sing as a chorus to mark their territory.

Kookaburras breed well in captivity, and when pulled from the nest and hand fed as chicks, they can make quite affectionate pets. However, their captive diet of mice and beef can be difficult for some people to maintain, and their noise can irritate some. They require spacious cages or aviaries to fly about in. But when all the requirements are met, they are truly a worthwhile companion pet bird.

In the wild, Kookaburras are known to eat babies of other birds, snakes, insects, and small reptiles.