But of course that didn’t stop people from shooting them.Ī gang-gang male in the National Botanic Gardens. The gang-gang was generally scorned as not worth wasting powder and shot on (presumably they tasted bad). Most earlier mentions of gang-gangs refer to shooting expeditions. So it’s interesting “gang-gang” (along with “boobook”) was accepted pretty much from the start. Most of the few bird names of Indigenous origin – currawong, budgerigar, kookaburra, corella, galah for instance – became established in English well into the 20 th century. Because Sturt already recognised the name, it’s presumably from a coastal language. We can be certain it’s from an Indigenous word, and reflects the bird’s croaky-creaky call, but we don’t know from which language.Ĭharles Sturt used the name “gangan” when reporting on gang-gangs he saw near Mittagong in 1833. But for gang-gangs, all he could do was plead for information readers might have.Įven the name is something of a mystery. When John Gould was producing his monumental work on Australian birds in the 1840s, he included detailed information on nearly all species.

They are the second-smallest cockatoo (after cockatiels) – and there’s not a great deal more we can say with certainty. Gang-gangs are one of the best reasons to live in Canberra, and indeed this is the only city in the world where they can be seen readily and regularly throughout suburbia and even in the city centre. The mystery seems somehow appropriate because despite their familiarity, there is so much we don’t know about gang-gangs.Ī young male gang-gang, his head just in the process of turning from grey to red. We don’t know why it’s in such trouble, though the loss of incalculable numbers of old hollow breeding trees to fires in recent years and climate change are heavily implicated. The idea of a world, and a Canberra, without this delightful little ash-grey cocky with the red head and wispy clown’s hat (males only), is unimaginable. We should celebrate the gang-gang while retaining hope the plummeting numbers can be reversed. Extinction of a species happens only once, and is forever. This means it’s “facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future” – a terrible thing to contemplate. Its listing under ACT legislation will automatically follow. But for all the wrong reasons.īased on the recommendations of an eminent scientific committee, the glorious gang-gang cockatoo has shockingly been declared `Endangered’ at a national level. On 2 March one of Canberra’s favourite birds, and our territory emblem, received recognition. If we have helped you better understand your pet, please share this guide to six cockatoo sounds and their meanings on Facebook and Twitter.A male gang-gang, his gorgeous wispy headdress flopping in the breeze. We hope you have enjoyed our look into your bird’s behavior and have learned more about your bird’s behavior. Learning more about your bird will help you bond better and lets you provide a better life for your pet. Keeping a journal will show you things about their behavior, you might not notice otherwise, and you’ll start to learn when they are hungry, tired, bored, and happy.

However, the vast majority will fall into the six categories we’ve listed above. Your cockatoo may make several noises, and its vocabulary will grow and change over time as your bird ages and gets used to its environment. You May Also Like: Citron-Crested Cockatoo Bird Species - Personality, Food & Care Guide It will expect a response, and ignoring it can cause anxiety in your bird, leading to the squawking sound we mentioned earlier. Your bird may also start to call you if it’s feeling bored or lonely.

In the wild, you might hear a cockatoo make calling sounds to find its friends or to find a mate, but in the home, you might hear them if you leave the room and they are wondering where you went.

Talking ability of gang gang cockatoo