Gang-gang cockatoos are considered as a small bird species that has a length that ranges from 33 to 37 cm with a wingspan of about 63-76cm. A sign that they like what they are eating if they tend to have a soft growling sound as they eat. They are considered in the few lists of those birds who enjoy eating sawfly larvae in large quantities. Nuts, berries, and other fruits are considered as their favorite food. They also eat a variety of insects and larvae. In the wild, they usually eat the seeds of different shrubs, native trees such as eucalypts, hawthorns, and wattles. Every year, the parents would go back to the same tree where they nest to breed again. When these eggs hatch, they are fed by their parents for about 7-8 weeks, and it would take at least 4-6 weeks for them to develop their feathers and wings for them to fly, so in total, they have 12-14 weeks to be independent after they hatched. The females have the ability to lay up to two white eggs where both parents incubate it for about 24-30 days. They are known to be monogamous birds that have a pair that mate for life. They are considered as sexually active when they are about 4 years old. Gang-gang cockatoos’ reproduction season is during the months of October to January. They are a powerful flier that has the ability to fly long distances, but they would also do some short flights from one tree to another. They tend to be more active if it is raining or if there are snow showers where they tend to do aerobatics. They are arboreal birds where they would only go to the ground to eat and drink.

Habitatĭuring the breeding season, they are usually seen in small groups only, but during their feeding time, they are seen in large flocks in their food or water source.

There were a lot of efforts to further distribute their population is some other parts such as the Australian Alps, Nandewar, NSW North Coast, NSW South Western Slopes, Ocean, South East Corner, South Eastern Highlands, and Sydney Basin. They can be seen originating from the coastal regions of south-eastern Australia, but they use to inhabit Tasmania and King Island however, nowadays, their population in that place is already extinct with this, they were introduced to Kangaroo Island, southern Victoria, central-eastern New South Wales. In short, the males have a more vibrant coloration while the female has a duller color. While the females have a dark grey head and fluffy crest with upper parts of their body that have pale yellow and underparts with orange to yellow or green colorations with a tail that has a greyish or whitish coloration. The males tend to be covered in dark grey coloration with grey or white feathers, redhead, and a dark grey to black tail. The male Gang-gang cockatoo has a wispy red crest that stands out against their grey bodies they were also given different names related to their physical appearances such as red-crowned cockatoo and a red-headed cockatoo. Males and females differ in physical appearance significantly. In the wild, gang-gang cockatoos can be distinguished easily through their call, especially if they are in a flock with other bird species. The name of the gang-gang cockatoo is an aboriginal language from New South Wales and is considered as an onomatopoeic word.

Gang gang cockatoos