Of the dozen or so photos I managed to get, only the one above was reasonable to show here. They seem to like sitting high in the canopy of the trees and not show themselves sufficiently for a good shot.

On this occasion I had the frustration of trying to photograph these beautiful parrots. It is a wonder they didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t leave any dents as some pieces were quite large.

All the parts of the cone he didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t like were dropped like hail stones on to the top of our car. The species is readily distinguished from other cockatoos of similar size: males are slate grey with a scarlet head and a wispy scarlet crest females have a grey head and crest, and the feathers on the underparts are edged with salmon pink. Males and females differ in physical appearance significantly. The Gang-gang Cockatoo ranges in length from 32 to 37 cm, with a wingspan of 62 to 76 cm (Higgins 1999). In the wild, gang-gang cockatoos can be distinguished easily through their call, especially if they are in a flock with other bird species. Many years ago when camping in the Snowy Mountains south-west of Canberra I remember an individual sitting in a pine tree eating seeds from the cones. Join the gang-gang cockatoo gang Our smallest, possibly cutest cockatoo, with a call that sounds like a creaky door being opened, these much-loved creatures are the bird emblem of Canberra. The name of the gang-gang cockatoo is an aboriginal language from New South Wales and is considered as an onomatopoeic word. IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve only see this species on a handful of occasions over the years. They also prefer timbered watercourses and valleys and can sometimes be found on farmlands and even in suburban gardens. In the Great Dividing Range, they can be found from sea level through to about 2000 metres altitude. The Gang-gang Cockatoo prefers forests and woodlands where there is more rainfall than on the plains. While not an abundant species like the Galah, for example, they are moderately common in suitable habitat. Gang-gang Cockatoos are found in south eastern New South Wales, southern Victoria and occasionally in the extreme south east of South Australia. This is a species I do not see all that often because its range is nowhere near where I live. 2007 Australian Capital Territory Trip report #8ĭuring our visit to the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra earlier this year I was delighted to see several Gang-gang Cockatoos.

Gang gang cockatoo national bird of