Gang-gang Cockatoo - Callocephalon fimbriatum

Gang-gang Cockatoo

Callocephalon fimbriatum

Other Names: Gang-gang
Family: Cacatuidae (Cockatoos, 14 species in Australia)
Size: 34 cm
Distribution: Withing a few hundred kilometres of the coasts of southern NSW and VIC.
Status: Common
Habitat: Open forests, move in autumn/winter to woodland, farms, suburbs
References: Simpson and Day, Reader's Digest

The Gang-gang Cockatoo used to be common in the Blue Mountains, but now they are rarely seen. I can remember when I was in primary school, every year several of them would eat berries from my garden. Now I hardly ever see them — the last time I saw them in the wild was on a walk at Lawson in about 2003. My bird field guide still says they are common so perhaps they are moving south due to global warming?

The male has a red head like the one shown below, the female is grey all over.

Gang-gang Cockatoo - Callocephalon fimbriatum
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution (2026 x 1518 )

Gang-gang Cockatoo - Callocephalon fimbriatum
Artwork: John Gould, 'The Birds of Australia', 1848. Original Scanned Image.

Some Birdwatching Resources

Birdsong, Don Stap. From the promotional material: "Following one of the world's experts on birdsong from the woods of Martha's Vineyard to the tropical forests of Central America, Don Stap brings to life the quest to unravel an ancient mystery: Why do birds sing and what do their songs mean? We quickly discover that one question leads to another. Why does the chestnut-sided warbler sing one song before dawn and another after sunrise? Why does the brown thrasher have a repertoire of two thousand songs when the chipping sparrow has only one? And how is the hermit thrush able to sing a duet with itself, producing two sounds simultaneously to create its beautiful, flutelike melody?"

Purchase from Australia (Booktopia)

Click here to purchase from Australia (Fishpond)

Click here to purchase from Wilderness Awareness School $24.00 USD (May not work)

The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, Graham Pizzey and Frank Knight. This is the other of the two best bird field guides for Australia. It is the one preferred by many serious birdwatchers. However I find the pictures a bit dull looking for my taste — the birds all kind of look the same to me, making it harder to remember them in my mind. The illustrations are meant to be the most anatomically correct, though. The text descriptions are better than in Simpson and Day. If you want the most serious bird field guide get this one otherwise get Simpson and Day.

Purchase 9th ed. from Australia (Booktopia)

Purchase 9th ed. from Australia (Angus & Robertson)

Click here to purchase 9th ed. from Australia (The Nile)

Click here to purchase from Australia (Fishpond)

Click here to preorder the 9th ed. from Amazon

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