Up close with Gang-gang Cockatoo feeding on Conesticks – Blue Mountains
46These up-close scenes of a young male Gang-gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum) were captured on a rainy late March (2022) day from the Little Switzerland Trail on the Kings Tableland plateau in the Blue Mountains (NSW, Australia). Despite the weather, several birds were sighted, including a cockatoo-fest: Nine Gang-gangs, ten Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, five Glossy Black Cockatoos and two Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. Only the first two species were within camera range on this occasion. The closing footage of a female Glossy Black Cockatoo was collected around the same location (Little Switzerland-Chester Trail circuit) the following day.
It’s always a thrill to spot the bright red heads of male Gang-gang Cockatoos, standing out from the foliage like waratah blooms. Of course, the females have their own beauty, with their filamentous grey crest and orange-yellow fringing on their underparts creating a barred effect. Juvenile Gang-gangs have similar underparts and a rudimentary grey crest. In the immature stage – as seen here – the young male develops his red features but still has aspects of juvenile plumage. To see close-up views of an adult male and adult female, please check out our previous production https://youtu.be/5LTowYCegqA from the Capertee Valley on western edge of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.
Gang-gang Cockatoos are mostly found in temperate forest of south-east Australia, but will visit more open habitats such as grassy woodland and heathland, and parks, gardens and road verges in search of food. In general, the diet of any cockatoo is largely determined by bird and beak size. As one of our smallest cockatoos (only the Cockatiel is smaller), Gang-gangs prefer softer, more accessible seed pods (e.g. Petrophile pulchella aka Conesticks, as shown in this video, Acacias, Eucalypts and Callistris) and fruits of some exotic plants (e.g. Hawthorn and Cotoneaster). Note that the Glossy Black Cockatoo in the final scene is eating the seeds of harder she-oak pods, but a Conesticks plant is closer to camera. Carol Probets has written a delightful description of the feeding behaviour of various Blue Mountains parrots here (page 11): https://www.bluemountains.org.au/documents/hutnews/richer/1504news_rich.pdf.
Although Gang-gangs are relatively flexible in their food choices, this hasn’t saved them from declining numbers throughout their range. They are listed as Vulnerable in NSW and Endangered federally. Two strongholds have traditionally been the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), where this bird is the faunal emblem, and the Blue Mountains in NSW. Alas, this once-common breeding nomad of the Mountains (who also moves altitudinally in response to seasonal change) is harder to find now, especially in the lower Mountains. There are fewer sightings in all parts of the Mountains, but the upper Mountains has had the least decline and Gang-gangs remain a likely treat for residents thereabouts. You can read more about Gang-gang observations in the Mountains here (on page 28): https://bmnature.info/docs/flora-fauna/gbmwha-birds-checklist-version-3.pdf. See also https://ebird.org/australia/home for the latest sightings.
As to why the decline, it’s a familiar story of habitat loss and degradation, made worse by the fires of 2019-20. This Guardian Australia article provides a summary of the current situation: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/01/gang-gang-cockatoo-to-become-threatened-species-after-large-drop-in-bird-numbers. Other challenges are noted here: https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedSpeciesApp/profile.aspx?id=10975. For other information on this gorgeous bird, please visit https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Callocephalon-fimbriatum.