Birds · Psittaciformes · Psittacidae

Gang-gang Cockatoo

Callocephalon fimbriatum

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The gang-gang cockatoo is a small grey cockatoo, the male wearing a head and crest of a ragged scarlet red that contrasts with the rest of the body. It lives in the mountain forests of south-eastern Australia and feeds on eucalypt and wattle seeds, which it prises out of the capsules with its bill. The fires of 2019 and 2020 destroyed a large part of its habitat, and its population has been declining for decades.

Weight

250 g – 330 g

Size

32 cm – 37 cm

Lifespan

30 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestMountainHerbivore Diurnal Bird Temperate forest Mountain

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Fun facts

Its call is unmistakable: a rusty creak that has been described as the sound of a cork turning in the neck of a bottle, or of an unoiled door.
It is the faunal emblem of the Australian Capital Territory, and even so the great fires of 2019 and 2020 destroyed an enormous fraction of its breeding habitat in a matter of weeks.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Humid montane eucalypt forest and riverine woodland of south-eastern Australia
Sexual maturity: 3.5 years
Gestation / incubation: 28 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 2 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callocephalon_fimbriatum