They are often so busy feeding that observers can get close enough to admire their beautiful plumage. Photo: Geoffrey Dabb.ĭuring winter, small flocks of the birds are common in gardens around Canberra where they feed on pine cones, firethorn and hawthorn berries. Gang-gangs cockatoos feed on native berries and pine cones. The gang-gang cockatoo was adopted as the ACT’s fauna emblem on 27 February, 1997, and also features on the logo of the ACT Parks and Conservation Service. The surveys will cover the last two weekends of September and first weekend of October, 2021, and aim to identify areas of high gang-gang cockatoo occupancy and gain a better understanding of their breeding locations and habitat needs.Ĭommunity members can register to participate here. The directorate says the Black Summer bushfires had a severe impact on gang-gang cockatoo habitat across the region. The gang-gang cockatoo ( Callocephalon fimbriatum) has been listed as endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, and the ACT Government’s Environment Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate will be running a citizen survey to record its whereabouts. The population of the native bird has been relatively stable in the ACT region for the past 30 years, but the rest of southeast Australia has seen a 69 per cent decline in its reporting rate, according to the Canberra Nature Map. But there are concerns its numbers elsewhere are dwindling.

With it’s slate-grey body and bright red head, Canberra is the only city in Australia the gang-gang cockatoo chooses to call home. The gang-gang cockatoo is an occasional visitor to Canberra backyards.

Purple gang gang cockatoo