"The males boast a spectacular red head and both the males and females have a wispy crest." "Gang-gangs are an incredibly beautiful parrot," Taylor says. Gang-gangs, one of 14 cockatoo species in Australia, are crowd favourites for their slate-grey feathers with blushes of pink, the male's distinctive red crest, and their quirky call. We asked our gang-gang guru what we know about the birds, what we still need to find out, and what makes these charismatic cockies special. No formal research or monitoring has been conducted about the species, says Stacey Taylor, a Master's student at The Australian National University (ANU) who is studying the patterns of occupancy of the gang-gang across the ACT. That became clear in the 2021 Bird of the Year poll, where they finished third out of 50 Australian native birds.ĭespite their popularity, we don't know a lot about them. In spring and summer, they are often found in tall mountain forests and woodlands, but in autumn and winter, they often move to lower altitudes in drier and more open eucalypt forests, or to dry forests in coastal areas.They are the faunal emblem of the Australian Capital Territory, but enthusiasm for the gang-gang cockatoo stretches far beyond the Canberra bubble. Gang gangs can be found from southern Victoria to the ACT and through to central-eastern NSW. You must include the time and location of the siting, a photograph of the tree and a photo of the tree hollow if possible. The project wants to hear from anyone in the Eurobodalla who has recently seen gang gangs checking out tree hollows as now is the time when the birds look for potential nest sites.Įither upload this information to the iNaturalist app or website, or email the details to. “Gang gangs don’t necessarily use the same hollows each year, but they should remember the nest tubes for future years.” But putting them up by January and February gives them plenty of time to examine the tubes,” she said. “The nesting tubes won’t be used by the birds this breeding season. READ ALSO Bega Valley’s bushfire recovery efforts gain national recognition with awardĭr Rhind plans to put three nest tubes near a natural gang gang hollow at 10 locations in the Eurobodalla this summer. Researchers in the ACT have noticed several gang gang pairs will nest in close vicinity and appear to defend each other’s hollows. While your standard wooden nest box won’t endanger birds, they’re of no use for gang gangs – they’d be chewed apart in no time,” Dr Rhind said. “The design is very precise to avoid potential welfare concerns. The dimensions of the PVC nest tubes were adjusted using measurements of natural gang gang hollows made by ACT researchers, who will also deploy tubes as part of the collaborative research effort. Really, this has to be one of the most exciting citizen science projects out there,” Ms Fink Downes said.ĭr Rhind developed gang gang-specific nesting tubes after examining models successful in helping other endangered cockatoos, including glossy black cockatoos in the east. “We’re looking for help at each stage of the project. Scientifically designed nest tubes will be hung in the vicinity of those natural hollows, then five years of volunteer and mechanical nest monitoring will begin. However, all hope is not lost and citizen scientists are being called on to help a project that aims to reverse the decline.Ī pair of gang gang cockatoos seen at a tree hollow. The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage says other threats include climate change, the psittacine circovirus disease, and a loss of breeding and foraging habitat due to forestry management practices. “We didn’t realise exactly how much trouble gang gangs are in – they’re likely to be nationally listed as endangered when reassessed next year,” biologist Dr Susan Rhind said.Īccording to the Conservation Council ACT Region, gang gangs suffered enormously from the 2019-2020 bushfires, which are estimated to have reduced their population by 10 per cent. It’s estimated that in the last 21 years, the population of gang gang cockatoos has declined by 69 per cent. The sight of gang gang cockatoos is a joy for wildlife lovers and bushwalkers – hearing their creaking call overhead makes you look upwards to try and snag a glimpse of the flame-red feathers of the male birds.īut sadly, sights like this are becoming much less common. Eurobodalla Shire Council is joining with biologists to try and save the iconic gang gang cockatoo.
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