The chubby bird weighs 565 grams (1.2 pounds), which is almost 40 percent heavier than a normal adult kookaburra, making her so unfit she can no longer fly.
'Out in the wild she'd eat a whole small animal such as a mouse or skink, but butcher's sausages are just too much of a good thing,' said Gemma Watkinson, Sydney's Taronga Zoo wildlife hospital nurse.
A Sydney resident brought the bird to the zoo after spotting dogs chasing her along the ground.
'The kookaburra's been down at the rehabilitation aviary for a couple of weeks on a special "lite n'easy" diet designed by our bird keeper,' said Watkinson. The bird will also undergo a rigorous exercise regime as many as three times a day with a personal trainer.
'We've fitted the temporary home out like a "bird gym",' added Watkinson.
Right now, the bird is showing signs of winning her battle against obesity, but she still has more weight to shed before she becomes ready to be returned to the wild.
Tom Phillips
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