AY Honors/Parrots and Cockatoos/Answer Key
The Gang-gang Cockatoo, Callocephalon fimbriatum, is found in the cooler and wetter forests and woodlands of Australia, particularly alpine bushland. Mostly mid grey in colour, the male has a red head and crest, while the female has a small fluffy grey crest. It ranges throughout south-eastern Australia and Tasmania. The Gang-gang Cockatoo is the faunal emblem of the Australian Capital Territory. It is easily identified by its distinctive call, which is described as resembling a creaky gate, or the sound of a cork being pulled from a wine bottle.
Unlike most cockatoos, Gang-gangs nest in solid trees, into which they excavate a nesting cavity with their powerful bills. Lots of older, dead, hollow trees and loss of feeding habitat across south-eastern Australia through land clearing has led to a significant reduction in the numbers of this cockatoo in recent years.
External links
- ParrotScience - cockatoo heavy information site
- NSW National Parks & Wildlife - Vulnerable species listing
- BirdLife Species Factsheet
References
- Template:IUCN2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Flegg, Jim. Birds of Australia: Photographic Field Guide Sydney: Reed New Holland, 2002. (ISBN 1876334789)
Gallery
A female Gang-gang cockatoo eating peppercorns
Male Gang-gang cockatoo
Female Gang-gang cockatoo
