Bush Buds: Gang-gang Cockatoo

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About me:

Have you ever been out on a frosty Canberra morning and heard the call of a bird that sounds a lot like the creaking of a rusty gate? Well that’s the Gang-gang Cockatoo! The Gang-gang is a small dark grey cockatoo. Adult males have a distinctive bright red curled crest on their head and adult females have a dark grey head and yellow-orange barring on the chest. Beloved across the Canberra community as the Territory’s faunal emblem, Gang-gangs can be seen at all times of the year, nesting during spring and early summer in hollow-bearing tree. 

A favoured food of Canberra’s Gang-gangs are the buds and gumnuts of the Southern Blue Gum, a common planting of inner Canberra’s parks and avenues. In nearby bushland, they feed on seeds of Red Stringybarks. Some Gang-gang populations across Australia have suffered a 70% decline in the last two decades, but Canberra’s population appears to be steady, with around 150 individuals. They are a cheery visitor to our gardens and can be encouraged by planting eucalypts, wattles, and cypress-pines.  

Cockatoos are integral to songlines, dreaming stories, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge. These stories support connection to Country and are held by people with responsibility for and kinship to these birds. 

Threats:

Once widespread across south-eastern Australia, Gang-gang populations are in steep decline. In March 2022 they were listed as endangered under national environment laws.  The main threat is habitat loss. It is also suspected that as a cool climate bird, Gang-gangs are especially vulnerable to climate change.

Become my Bush Bud!

Take a stand for Canberra’s nature by becoming a Bush Buddy with the Gang-gang Cockatoo! Register to stay updated and receive an invitation to walk with an expert in your species' habitat!