The Gang-gang Cockatoo is a small, stocky cockatoo of south-eastern Australia, unmistakable in the adult male thanks to his bright scarlet head and wispy crest set against a body of soft slate grey. The female is more subdued, all grey with fine scalloping and a small grey crest. The birds have a gentle, almost tame manner and a famously odd voice, likened to a creaking gate or a cork being pulled from a bottle.
They are birds of tall, wet mountain forests in summer, moving to lower, drier woodlands and even suburban gardens in winter. Once considered secure, the species has declined markedly, and the catastrophic bushfires of 2019-20 burned a large share of its range. It is now listed as Endangered in Australia, and its slow reproduction and dependence on old hollow-bearing trees make recovery a long-term challenge.
A round-headed, mostly grey cockatoo, the Gang-gang is told at once by the male's red head and crest. Females and juveniles lack the red and can look plainly grey, but the fine barring on the underparts, the wispy curled crest and the distinctive call help confirm identification.
| Size | Small cockatoo, 32-37 cm long with a 62-76 cm wingspan |
| Male | Slate-grey body with a bright scarlet head and thin, wispy red crest |
| Female | All grey with a small grey crest and buff-and-pink scalloping on the underparts |
| Body pattern | Fine pale scalloping across the grey plumage, more pronounced in females |
| Bill | Short, pale horn-coloured bill |
| Flight | Slow, laboured wingbeats; often detected first by its creaky call |
The call is one of the most distinctive of any Australian bird, a drawn-out, creaking, rasping note often compared to a rusty gate hinge or a cork squeaking out of a wine bottle. Birds also give softer growls and grating notes while feeding. The unusual voice frequently gives the species away before it is seen, as flocks feed quietly in the canopy.
The Gang-gang Cockatoo is endemic to south-eastern Australia, from southern New South Wales through the Australian Capital Territory into Victoria, with an introduced population on Kangaroo Island. In the breeding season it favours tall, wet eucalypt forests in cooler, higher country, then disperses to drier woodlands, coastal forests and gardens in autumn and winter.
It feeds mainly on the seeds of eucalypts, wattles and other native trees and shrubs, along with berries, nuts, and the seeds of introduced plants such as hawthorn. Insects and their larvae, extracted from wood and foliage, are also taken, especially when feeding young. Gang-gangs forage quietly and methodically in the canopy, often allowing close approach.
Breeding pairs nest in large hollows high in old eucalypts, frequently near water. The female usually lays two eggs, and both parents share incubation over about four weeks and then feed the chicks. The reliance on very old, hollow-bearing trees, which take a century or more to form, makes nest sites a critical and limiting resource for the species.
- Galah: Also grey and pink but with a rose-pink breast and pale crown, and a very different call
- Sulphur-crested Cockatoo: Larger and white with a yellow crest, sharing parts of the same range
- Little Corella: Smaller white cockatoo of open country, lacking any grey or red
How do you tell a male from a female Gang-gang Cockatoo?
The male has a bright scarlet head and crest, while the female is entirely grey with a small grey crest and more obvious scalloping on the body.
Why does the Gang-gang Cockatoo sound like a creaking door?
Its natural contact call is a rasping, drawn-out note that genuinely resembles a rusty gate or a cork being pulled, and it is one of the easiest ways to detect the bird.
Is the Gang-gang Cockatoo endangered?
Yes. It has declined significantly and was heavily affected by the 2019-20 bushfires, and is now listed as Endangered in Australia.
Where can you see Gang-gang Cockatoos?
They occur in south-eastern Australia and are the animal emblem of the Australian Capital Territory, where they are regularly seen in Canberra's suburbs in winter.