#BROWN HEADED GANG GANG COCKATOO SKIN#

Their call is unforgettable! It sounds like a rusty, creaky hinge with a rising inflection. They have horn colored bills, gray periopthalmic rings, brown irises and gray feet. The name gang-gang comes from the Wiradjuri name and possibly other Aboriginal languages, and is thought to be onomatopoeic, describing the call. The feathers on Gang Gang Cockatoos have pale white-gray edges. Typically moves to higher altitudes during summer and returns to lower ranges in winter. Primarily scaly gray-green adult male has bright red ‘helmet’ and fluffy crest. Small and compact cockatoo found only in southeastern Australia. The spread of Psittacine Circovirus 'beak and feather disease' has also been suggested as a threat. The gang-gang cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum) is a parrot found in the cooler and wetter forests and woodlands of Australia, particularly alpine bushland. Escapee exotics do not count in official eBird totals. The reasons for this decline are not well understood but loss of suitable nest hollows - whether due to general habitat loss, altered fire regimes or competition with more aggressive species - may be a major factor. Despite this they are declining and listed as Vulnerable in NSW. They're able to take advantage of some introduced plants, feeding on the fruit of certain weeds and garden trees. They don't usually breed until 4 years of age. They're altitudinal migrants, breeding in the wet forests of the mountains and moving into more open habitats and to lower altitudes in autumn-winter. Here in the Blue Mountains the largest numbers tend to be seen at Mounts Wilson and Irvine, though I've never seen 50 there, and a few can usually be found around all the other upper mountains townships. In January 2012 I had the wonderful experience of seeing a flock of 50 Gang-gangs near Cabramurra in the Snowy Mountains. The male has a grey body with the edge of feathers lighter green-grey, orange-red head with a small floppy red crest.

#BROWN HEADED GANG GANG COCKATOO SKIN#

The Gang-gang holds the spitfires in one foot while it eats the soft parts, discarding the skin and the head which is probably rather Surprisingly, they will also chow down on sawfly larvae, also known as spitfires because of the irritating liquid they disgorge when disturbed. They growl softly as they feed on native seeds like eucalypts, wattles, geebungs, callitris as well as various exotic berries and nuts.īut like other cockatoos they are not strictly vegetarian and will tear open pupae and galls to eat the grubs inside. The upper mandible of their bill is hinged to their skull and their lower mandible fits under the upper. They have thick, hooked bills zygodactyl feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward and muscular tongues. Often the first sign of their presence is a continuous cracking sound and a shower of gumnut pieces falling from the canopy of a eucalyptus. There are around 350 species of colorful birds in this family. Both sexes have a wispy up-curled crest like a lacy frill atop their head. Gang-gang Cockatoos can still be found in many parts of the mountains - the male with his bright red head the female all grey, each feather edged in red, pale grey or pale yellow with olive tinges, giving her an intricate beauty close-up.

Brown headed gang gang cockatoo