The ACT environment minister, Rebecca Vassarotti, stated, “While we consider the ACT to be a stronghold for the species, the gang-gang is probably one of the least understood parrots in Australia. That is why the impact of fire frequency and worsening heatwaves is devastating to the population of these small birds. Known to be altitudinal migrants, gang-gang cockatoos travel from high-altitude mountains to coastal areas and low-altitude forests in fall and winter. Instead of producing oil, cockatoos have another type of feather that produces powder to keep its other feathers waterproof. And more! Only male gang-gang cockatoos have red-crested heads.Īnother unique characteristic of gang-gang cockatoos is the lack of preening glands, unlike other parrots and birds. It presses its feathers to its head when it’s moving or feels threatened. When it wants to warm up, it raises its feathers just partially. When the bird is agitated or excited, the feathers are raised.
“With climate change only going to make things harder for this cold-climate bird, the government needs to step in and better protect this amazing bird and the native forests that provide essential nesting hollows in old-growth trees.” Photo: YouTube/OzBirdzīelonging to the parrot family, gang-gang cockatoos are unique for their crest feathers, which also function as tools for communication. “Even before the devastation of the 2019-20 fires, the species has been suffering immensely,” said Holly Parsons, urban bird manager of Birdlife Australia.
Their threatened status is a huge blow to the region, which has come to love the bird’s peculiar call that sounds like a raspy, creaky screech. Gang-gang cockatoos were declared as The Bird Emblem of Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in 1997. The Black Summer Bushfires of 2019-2020 further reduced the population of the gang-gang cockatoos, which was already suffering a loss of 15% due to climate change, up to 69%. After the koalas, which are now officially listed as an endangered species, the Gang-gang cockatoos are next to be declared as a threatened species.
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