What is a gang gang cockatoo?

A gang gang cockatoo is a forest and woodland-dwelling bird that lives in south east Australia. The males are known for their distinctive red crests and heads.

Australia has some truly excellent birds. The emus are brazen, the cassowaries are frankly terrifying, the rosellas are beautiful and the cockatoos are delightfully cheeky.

But there are several species of cockatoo, and perhaps the one with the strangest name is the gang gang cockatoo. The name is thought to come from a New South Wales Aboriginal language.

What do gang gang cockatoos look like?

Gang gang cockatoos are grey/ black birds. Their bodies are about 35cm long, with a wingspan of around 70cm. The most distinctive feature, however, is the red crest and head. This is only seen on the males of the species, however. The females have heads and crests that are roughly the same grey/ black as their body.

Gang gang cockatoo, Australia — Male gang gang cockatoos are redheads.

Where do gang gang cockatoos live in Australia?

Gang gang cockatoos don’t tend to be as immediately visible as some cockatoo species. This is largely because of where they live. Gang gang cockatoos tend to stick to forest and woodland areas. They’d prefer to be around the trees rather than in cities and open spaces, if they can help it.

During the autumn and winter months, gang gang cockatoos move towards lowland areas. This is when you’ve got the best chance of seeing them in suburbia.

They live in south-eastern Australia, generally east of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales, and sticking reasonably near to the Gippsland coast in Victoria until the Otway Ranges on the Great Ocean Road.

If you do a coastal road trip from Sydney to Melbourne, you’ve got a decent chance of seeing one. But the Great Ocean Road is probably the best bet – particularly if you divert in from the coast to the likes of Erskine Falls near Lorne, Timboon and Cape Otway.