Male Gang-gang Cockatoo.
His brilliant red head is very distinctive.
His brilliant red head is very distinctive.

Since the burn-off, a large group of Gang-gang Cockatoos, about 25 in all, have started hanging out in a deep gully along Tourist Road, in Glenquarry. There are numerous large Brown Barrel Eucalypts (Eucalyptus fastigata) and also some huge "Manna Gums" (Eucalyptus viminalis) here.
Eucalyptus viminalis (Manna Gum)
A magnificent specimen, in Glenquarry.
An immature male Gang-gang sitting in one of the Hawthorns. His crest is partly red, but he does not have the red cheeks which the mature males have. The males seem to know that their bright red heads make them more conspicuous, and so, tend to be more secretive, or wary of people. This youngster was not quite so shy. This young male is showing his cream scallop-shaped markings, on the chest and abdomen feathers. A magnificent specimen, in Glenquarry.

There are also a number of large Hawthorn trees here, and they happen to have berries on them, as it is autumn. The Gang-gangs are mostly hanging out in the Eucalypts, but they also feed on the Hawthorns. It is very unusual to see as many as 7 mature male Gang-gang Cockatoos in a single flock. But this is the case at present, with these birds.
A female Gang-gang peering at me, from the safety of a tall Brown Barrel Tree. Females have a rose-coloured wash on their chest and abdomen. 



2 comments:
Thanks for this post! I have linked this specific post to my blog: http://joec66.blogspot.com/2008/03/gang-gang-cockatoo.html
Its a really rainy day here; however, we really need it!
Thanks Joe.
I knew you would like the Gang-Gangs.
Regards
Denis
Post a Comment