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Gang-gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum)

The Gang-gang Cockatoo is a small, hollow-nesting cockatoo endemic to south-eastern Australia. It uses mature eucalypt forest and woodland, including hollow-bearing trees, dense understorey and seasonal lower-altitude winter habitat. Clearing, removal of mature trees, fire, heat, disease and competition for nest hollows are key issues on development and infrastructure sites.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Endangered.

Australian Capital Territory, Nature Conservation Act 2014: Endangered.

Breeding season

Gang-gang Cockatoos remain in south-eastern Australia year round, but many birds move between higher, wetter summer habitat and lower, drier winter habitat. Timing varies between sites and individuals, and breeding can occur outside the usual period.

The monthly pattern is a typical guide only. Site-specific records, hollow assessments and local breeding observations should determine timing and controls.

  • Breeding: Breeding usually occurs from October to January. Occasional records occur in late August, early September and March.
  • Young and family groups: Eggs are incubated for 3 to 4 weeks, young remain in the nest for 7 to 8 weeks, and parents feed fledged young for a further 4 to 6 weeks. Dependent young may therefore be present from late spring into autumn, depending on laying date.
  • Altitudinal movement: Many birds move to lower, drier forests, woodlands, urban areas and gardens during autumn and winter, commonly April to September. In summer they mainly use higher, wetter forests and mountain woodlands, although ranges overlap and some birds remain resident at either altitude.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest from October to January, when eggs, nestlings and fledged young may be present in hollow-bearing trees. Disturbance or tree removal from late winter can also affect nest preparation and early breeding, and the species may use a hollow even when no bird is detected on the day.

Identification

Gang-gang Cockatoos are small, stocky cockatoos with broad wings, short tails and a wispy crest. They are often detected by their call and feeding noise before they are seen in the canopy.

Adults are predominantly slate-grey, with pale edging that can give the plumage a barred appearance. Adult males have a scarlet head and a wispy, filamentous crest that curls forwards. Adult females have a grey head and crest, with yellow-orange or salmon-pink edging and barring on the underparts. Juveniles resemble females, but have a rudimentary crest and a washed green appearance, especially on the underparts and upper wing.

Length: 32 to 36 cm

Weight: 230 to 334 g

Wing length: 20 to 26 cm

Identification: Calls and field signs

The main call is a prolonged, rising, rusty hinge or gate-like screech, often described as ky-or-ark. Feeding birds may make a soft growling sound. Birds can also be located by the sound of seed pods being cracked and plant debris falling from food trees.

  • Search the crowns of eucalypts and other food trees, especially where fresh seed-pod fragments or berry debris are falling.
  • Record calls from the early morning canopy, when birds may be easier to detect than by sight.

Identification: Similar species

The Gang-gang Cockatoo is darker and more uniformly grey than a Galah, which has a pink face and belly and a pale pinkish crest. It is smaller and shorter-tailed than the Glossy Black-Cockatoo, which is much darker overall and has red in the tail. The male Gang-gang's red head and crest are distinctive, while females and juveniles may require closer examination of the grey body, pale barring and short tail.

Distribution: National range

The Gang-gang Cockatoo is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is widespread but unevenly distributed, with records concentrated through eastern New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria.

In New South Wales, the species occurs from the central slopes and tablelands east to the south coast and central eastern parts of the state. It extends through the south-eastern coast and highlands, including the Blue Mountains, tablelands and south-western slopes. In Victoria, it occurs through north-eastern and southern regions, with records from eastern Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula and south-western Gippsland. It also occurs in the Australian Capital Territory.

  • The species is associated with the Great Dividing Range, south-eastern highlands, coastal forests and adjacent inland slopes and woodlands.
  • It has been recorded as far north as Coffs Harbour and as far west as Mudgee, although some outlying records may be vagrants or escaped birds.
  • The species has been introduced to Kangaroo Island in South Australia and is extinct on King Island in Tasmania.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

Important areas include the highlands and tablelands of south-eastern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, north-eastern Victoria, the Greater Blue Mountains and the remaining forested areas around the central and southern New South Wales coast. A remnant Sydney subpopulation in the Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai local government areas contains no more than 40 pairs and is confined to those areas.

  • Approximately 54 percent of the species' distribution in New South Wales occurs within NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service estates.
  • The species may occur in an area in one year and not the next because movements follow food availability. Historical records should therefore be considered with recent survey results.

Distribution: Population status

The population has undergone a major decline. The decline continued before the 2019 to 2020 fires, which then caused additional mortality and habitat loss across a substantial part of the range.

Mature individuals: Estimated at 17,600 to 35,200 in the wild in the NSW assessment, with about 25,300 estimated in the Commonwealth assessment

Population decline: Approximately 69 percent between 1999 and 2019, before the 2019 to 2020 fires

Fire-affected habitat: Approximately 28 to 36 percent of known habitat burnt in the 2019 to 2020 fires

Estimated post-fire decline: About 21 percent one year after the fires; the population was predicted to remain 29 percent below the pre-fire level three generations after fire, and possibly as much as 52 percent lower

Habitat: Seasonal habitat

Gang-gang Cockatoos use different forest and woodland types through the year. Habitat use is linked to altitude, temperature, food availability and the presence of large trees with suitable hollows.

In summer, birds primarily occupy mature, moist eucalypt forests at higher elevations, often in secluded valleys. These forests commonly have a dense Acacia, Banksia or other shrubby understorey. The species also uses more open eucalypt forest, subalpine Snow Gum woodland, temperate rainforest and some regenerating forest.

  • In winter, birds generally move to lower and drier elevations and use open eucalypt woodland, including Box-Ironbark communities.
  • Other winter habitats include River Red Gum woodland, dense Leptospermum or Casuarina thickets, heathland and urban parks, gardens and roadside tree plantings.
  • Some individuals remain at higher elevations in winter, while others remain at lower elevations during summer.

Habitat: Key structure and climate

Old-growth forest and woodland are preferred for nesting, roosting and loafing. Large living eucalypts, dead limbs, dead sprouts and trees that will develop hollows in future are important components of habitat.

  • Gang-gang Cockatoos are associated with cooler conditions and higher elevations, but also use lower-altitude habitat during winter.
  • The species has been recorded in mountain woodlands up to about 2,000 m in elevation.
  • Increasing temperatures, heatwaves, altered rainfall and more severe fire can reduce food availability, breeding success and hollow availability.

Foraging habitat: Diet

Foraging is mainly arboreal and occurs in the canopy of eucalypts and other woodland trees. Birds may use urban and suburban plantings in winter, but native forest and woodland foraging habitat is the main consideration for impact assessment.

The diet includes seeds, seed pods, flower buds, leaf buds, blossoms, fruits, berries and insect larvae. Native foods include eucalypts and Acacia. Introduced foods include Hawthorn, Cotoneaster and Pyracantha berries, as well as seeds and berries from ornamental trees and shrubs.

  • Look for feeding on eucalypt seed pods and Acacia pods, particularly when these plants are seeding.
  • Gang-gang Cockatoos are one of the few Australian bird species recorded feeding on Sawfly larvae.
  • The species has been recorded feeding on at least 131 plant taxa across 25 plant families, although about 50 native plant species were identified from records outside Canberra.

Foraging habitat: Foraging method and height

Birds feed mainly in the tree canopy, particularly in eucalypts, and less often in the understorey during Acacia seeding. Feeding in shrubs and at ground level is uncommon. The species may come to the ground to drink or occasionally feed on fallen fruit or pine cones.

Canopy feeding above 10 m: Approximately 72 percent

Subcanopy feeding at 4 to 10 m: Approximately 21 percent

Shrub-layer feeding at 0.2 to 4 m: Approximately 7 percent

Ground-level feeding: None recorded in the cited natural-habitat feeding observations

  • Approximately 72 percent of feeding occurs in canopy above 10 m, 21 percent in the 4 to 10 m subcanopy and 7 percent in the 0.2 to 4 m shrub layer.
  • Gang-gang Cockatoos usually hold food in the left foot while extracting seeds or eating fruit.
  • Feed in small groups, pairs or family groups during the breeding season, and in larger flocks outside the breeding season.

Foraging habitat: Movement between food areas

The species is highly mobile and can move tens of kilometres. Seasonal movements and local presence can change with food availability, so a site without recent records may still provide foraging habitat.

  • Assess mature eucalypts, Acacia, River Red Gum, Box-Ironbark woodland and other known food plants even when birds are not detected during one survey period.
  • Consider both recent observations and historical records when assessing the importance of a site.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Gang-gang Cockatoos are monogamous, hollow-nesting cockatoos. Breeding habitat depends on suitable hollows in large trees, nearby food resources and enough surrounding forest or woodland for adults and young.

Both sexes prepare the nest by chewing the hollow walls and using wood chips and dust as lining. Pairs may use several nest trees in different years, and multiple nests can occur within a few hundred metres of each other. A pair may attempt a second brood if the first attempt fails early in the season.

Breeding season: Usually October to January, with occasional breeding records in late August, early September and March

Pair bond: Monogamous

Clutch size: Usually 2 eggs, occasionally 1 or 3

Incubation: About 3 to 4 weeks, or about 30 days

Nestling or fledging period: About 7 to 8 weeks, or about 56 days

Post-fledging dependence: Parents feed young for a further 4 to 6 weeks

Age at maturity: Not stated in the supplied documents

Lifespan: Not stated in the supplied documents; the species is described as potentially long-lived

Generation length: About 5 years was estimated from similar small cockatoos, but this may be low for Gang-gang Cockatoos

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Nests are in hollows in trunks, limbs or dead sprouts of large, living trees, especially eucalypts. Nesting and roosting sites are often near water, where large hollow-bearing trees may be more common.

  • Retain occupied and potential hollow-bearing trees, large trees that will form hollows, and groups of trees around known breeding sites.
  • Retain nearby native forest and woodland, including foraging trees and understorey, rather than treating an individual nest tree as an isolated feature.
  • Pairs may use only about half of known nest trees in any one year, so the absence of a current nest does not show that a hollow is unused.

Sheltering habitat: Hollows and roosts

Hollow-bearing trees provide nesting and roosting shelter. Gang-gang Cockatoos can use the same nesting or roosting sites over multiple years, so these features should be retained even when birds are not present during a site inspection.

The species roosts and nests in hollows in tree trunks and limbs, and in dead sprouts of large living eucalypts. Roosts are often near water. Individuals may use the same roosting and nesting site for multiple years.

Typical entrance height: At least 12 cm

Typical entrance width: At least 9 cm

Hollow chamber floor diameter: About 15 to 24 cm, with about 20 cm reported as typical

Hollow chamber depth: About 22 to 90 cm, with about 58 cm reported as typical

Hollow height above ground: Generally at least 5 m; known or potential hollows recorded at about 5 to 9.4 m

  • Preferred hollows generally have an entrance at least 12 cm high and 9 cm wide.
  • Hollow chambers are generally about 20 cm in floor diameter and about 58 cm deep, although the NSW assessment records chambers about 15 to 24 cm in floor diameter and 22 to 90 cm deep.
  • Hollows generally occur at least 5 m above ground, with the NSW assessment recording known or potential hollows about 5 to 9.4 m above ground.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter on development sites

Retain mature and dead trees with hollows, including trees that may become hollow-bearing in future. Protect retained trees from clearing, root-zone damage, machinery contact, fire and changes to surrounding vegetation that could increase their failure risk.

  • Inspect large living eucalypts, dead limbs, dead sprouts and standing dead trees for hollows, chew marks, nesting debris and repeated bird activity.
  • Treat a hollow-bearing tree as potentially important even if no bird is detected during the inspection.
  • Keep suitable nearby roosting and foraging trees and, where present, water sources connected to the retained woodland.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main project-related risks are removal of hollow-bearing trees, loss of mature foraging trees, fragmentation, fire and disturbance around breeding habitat. Additional threats include competition for hollows, possum predation, disease, heat and altered rainfall.

Clearing native vegetation removes trees and shrubs used for feeding, nesting and roosting. Large hollow-bearing trees are particularly difficult to replace because suitable hollows can take more than 100 years to form. Clearfell forestry can reduce abundance for 10 to 15 years in regenerating forest.

  • Avoid felling, ringbarking, poisoning or damaging hollow-bearing trees.
  • Avoid removing large trees in good breeding habitat, including trees that may form hollows in future.
  • Retain connected native forest and woodland around breeding sites and minimise edge effects and fragmentation.
  • Assess the cumulative effects of current and proposed works, not only the area of a single project.

Threats: Fire and climate

The 2019 to 2020 fires burnt approximately 28 to 36 percent of known Gang-gang Cockatoo habitat and caused direct mortality, loss of food resources and loss of nesting and roosting trees. More frequent, severe or extensive fire can reduce hollow abundance and delay habitat recovery.

  • Plan construction, vegetation management and fire activities to avoid breeding habitat and retain unburnt refuge areas where possible.
  • Protect unburnt forest and woodland adjacent to recently burnt areas.
  • Consider increasing heat, severe fire danger days, altered rainfall and reduced post-fire regeneration when assessing long-term habitat condition.

Threats: Competition, predation and disease

Feral Honey Bees, Common Brushtail Possums, Noisy Miners, Bell Miners, Common Mynas, Starlings and other hollow-using birds can compete for nest hollows. Possums may enter hollows and prey on eggs and young. Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease is transmitted through feather dander, faeces and saliva and has been reported at high prevalence in the Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai subpopulation.

  • Do not seal or modify a hollow without an ecological assessment of potential Gang-gang Cockatoo use and other hollow-dependent fauna.
  • Manage identified invasive hollow competitors and possum access in accordance with relevant permits and approved programs.
  • Use hygiene controls when handling nest boxes, sick birds or contaminated material.
  • Consider domestic cat predation where works adjoin urban habitat, especially during the period when fledged young remain dependent.

Threats: Survey and disturbance considerations

Gang-gang Cockatoos can be unobtrusive and elusive, and are often heard before they are seen. Their use of a site can vary between years because birds move in response to food availability.

Recommended area search or transect effort: 15 hours over 5 days in areas smaller than 50 ha

Recommended broadcast survey effort: 15 hours over 5 days in areas smaller than 50 ha

Best general detection period: Early morning, with call and sight detection

  • Survey suitable habitat in the early morning using area searches or transects with detection by call and sight.
  • For areas smaller than 50 ha, the threatened-bird survey guideline recommends 15 hours over 5 days for area searches or transects.
  • Broadcast surveys may be effective during the breeding season; the guideline recommends 15 hours over 5 days for areas smaller than 50 ha.
  • Use recent and historical records, habitat assessment and hollow inspection together when deciding whether a site may support the species.
  • Minimise noise and light pollution near habitat used for breeding, roosting or feeding.

Survey methodology: 1. Area searches and transects

Survey Gang-gang Cockatoos in suitable forest, woodland and urban habitat before clearing or construction. The species is often heard before it is seen, uses different habitats in summer and winter, and may be absent from a site in a particular year despite using it when food is available.

Search mature eucalypt forest, woodland, riparian areas and suitable urban tree plantings by sight and call.

Prioritise summer surveys in mature, wet sclerophyll forest and woodland with dense Acacia or Banksia understorey, and winter surveys in lower, drier open eucalypt woodland and suitable suburban habitat.

Conduct searches in the early morning, when birds are active and calling, and record all observations, calls, feeding trees, flight paths, roosts and potential nest hollows.

Give particular attention to trees higher than 10 metres, because approximately 72 percent of feeding occurs in the canopy above that height.

For areas less than 50 hectares, the supplied threatened bird survey guidance specifies 15 hours over 5 days for area searches or transect surveys.

Use recent observations and historical records when assessing habitat importance, because the species moves in response to food availability and may not be present during every survey.

Use an experienced observer who can identify the species by its rusty, rising call and distinguish it from other cockatoos in flight or in the canopy.

Survey methodology: 2. Call playback during the breeding season

Use broadcast surveys in suitable breeding habitat during the breeding season, normally October to January.

Apply playback only where it is permitted and where disturbance to breeding birds can be controlled.

Listen for responses and then search the surrounding canopy, hollow-bearing trees and nearby feeding areas.

The supplied survey guidance specifies 15 hours over 5 days for broadcast surveys in areas less than 50 hectares.

Do not use playback as a substitute for habitat assessment, because pairs may use several nest trees and only about half of known nest trees may be used in a given year.

Survey methodology: 3. Habitat and nest feature inspection

Inspect and map hollow-bearing trees, large trees that may form hollows, mature eucalypts, roost trees, feeding trees and nearby water.

Record hollow entrances that are approximately 12 centimetres or more high and 9 centimetres or more wide, with chambers generally around 20 centimetres in floor diameter and 58 centimetres deep.

In NSW records, suitable hollow chambers have been reported at approximately 15 to 24 centimetres floor diameter, 22 to 90 centimetres deep and 5 to 9.4 metres above ground.

Search for chew marks, nest debris, feathers, droppings, feeding debris, birds entering or leaving hollows, and repeated use of the same tree.

Inspect habitat in both breeding and non-breeding areas, including open eucalypt woodland, Snow Gum woodland, temperate rainforest, River Red Gum woodland, coastal Leptospermum or Casuarina thickets and heathland.

Record the condition of the surrounding foraging habitat, including seeding eucalypts, Acacia, Banksia and other food plants.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use the 15 hour, 5 day effort guide for area searches or transects and, where appropriate, the 15 hour, 5 day guide for broadcast surveys in areas less than 50 hectares.
  • Plan surveys for the relevant seasonal habitat, with summer coverage in higher, wetter forest and winter coverage in lower, drier woodland and urban habitat.
  • Complete additional targeted searches where hollow-bearing trees, repeated records, feeding activity, roosting activity or historical records indicate that the site may be important.
  • Document survey dates, start and finish times, weather, observer names and experience, method, route, area searched, visibility, wind, rain, call conditions, playback use and all species detections.
  • Map all Gang-gang Cockatoo records and habitat features in the project spatial database and retain photographs of trees, hollows and signs.
  • Submit confirmed records and relevant negative survey results to the relevant state wildlife database, such as the applicable state biodiversity records system, and to the project approval database where required.
  • Report the species under its scientific name, Callocephalon fimbriatum, and retain the evidence supporting each record.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Treat mature trees, hollow-bearing trees and connected feeding habitat as high priority constraints. The species is listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act and in the ACT, NSW and Victoria, so project planning must address both Commonwealth and state requirements.

  • Avoid felling, ringbarking or damaging hollow-bearing trees and large trees that may develop nesting hollows.
  • Retain mature eucalypt forest and woodland used for breeding, roosting and foraging, including trees within or adjacent to known breeding areas.
  • Retain seeding eucalypts, Acacia, Banksia and other native food plants used in the canopy and subcanopy.
  • Avoid clearing habitat near known nest trees, roosts, feeding concentrations, regular flight paths and water sources.
  • Prevent indirect impacts such as excessive noise, night lighting, dust, vibration, weeds, disease introduction and increased access by predators.
  • Maintain connected native vegetation between breeding, roosting and seasonal feeding areas, particularly where clearing would isolate woodland remnants.
  • Where impacts cannot be avoided, design the project around retained habitat and document the justification, mitigation and any required offset.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

  • Check whether the proposed action is likely to have a significant impact on the Endangered Gang-gang Cockatoo and refer it under the EPBC Act where required.
  • Check state and territory threatened species legislation, planning controls, vegetation clearing rules and wildlife handling requirements before works start.
  • Obtain any permit or approval required for fauna surveys, nest inspection, capture, handling, relocation, tree removal or work near an active nest.
  • Schedule tree removal and high-noise work outside the usual October to January breeding period where practicable.
  • Stage works so that retained breeding, roosting and feeding areas remain available while other parts of the site are cleared or built.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat features, survey methods, exclusion zones, stop-work triggers, authorised handlers, veterinary contacts and reporting responsibilities.
  • Include the species in the project induction and provide machinery operators with maps of no-go areas and retained trees.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

  • Complete the pre-clearance survey close enough to the work date to identify current use, while also checking historical records and earlier survey results.
  • Mark hollow-bearing trees, potential future hollow trees, nest trees, roost trees, food trees, water points and retained vegetation before machinery enters the site.
  • Use exclusion fencing or clearly marked no-go zones around retained trees and habitat where fencing will not damage roots or restrict bird movement.
  • Check trees again immediately before felling or modification for birds entering or leaving hollows, fresh debris, feathers, droppings and other signs of use.
  • Confirm that fauna spotter catchers are appropriately authorised, briefed and present for all activities that could injure birds or disturb occupied hollows.
  • Inspect proposed access tracks, crane pads, stockpile areas, lighting locations and drainage works for impacts on retained habitat.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and spotter coordination

Use active supervision whenever machinery works near Gang-gang Cockatoo habitat. The fauna spotter catcher must have authority to pause work and must coordinate directly with the operator and site supervisor.

  • Hold a daily pre-start briefing covering mapped trees, exclusion zones, planned work fronts, weather, recent sightings and the stop-work process.
  • Inspect exclusion fencing, tree protection, access controls and signage at the start of each shift and after strong wind, fire or changes to the work area.
  • Keep machinery outside marked exclusion zones unless the approved method specifically allows supervised entry.
  • Position the fauna spotter catcher where the operator can see or contact them, and use agreed radio calls or hand signals for stop, slow and proceed instructions.
  • Stop work if a bird enters the work zone, if a bird is seen entering or leaving a hollow, or if the spotter catcher cannot maintain a clear view of the work.
  • Avoid unnecessary night lighting and high noise near retained breeding, roosting or feeding habitat.

During habitat disturbance: Hollow-bearing trees and habitat features

  • Do not fell or prune a hollow-bearing tree until it has been inspected and cleared by the authorised fauna spotter catcher in accordance with the approval and fauna management plan.
  • Treat large trees without current hollows as retained habitat where they can provide future hollows, because suitable hollows can take more than 100 years to form.
  • If an occupied or potentially occupied hollow is identified, stop work and keep people and machinery clear until the fauna spotter catcher and relevant wildlife authority decide the next step.
  • Handle fallen hollow-bearing limbs and nest material only under an approved procedure, and retain them where safe and practicable.
  • Retain native logs, standing dead wood, tree bases and other habitat features unless their removal is authorised and necessary for safety.
  • Do not seal, fill, illuminate or otherwise modify hollows that may be used for nesting or roosting without approval and specialist advice.

During habitat disturbance: If a Gang-gang Cockatoo is found

  • Stop the immediate activity if the bird is at risk from machinery, falling material, noise or direct contact.
  • Keep workers, machinery, vehicles and dogs away and allow the bird time to move to retained habitat if it is uninjured and can fly.
  • Do not chase, catch, feed or transport the bird unless the person is authorised under the relevant state or territory requirements and the action is covered by the project approval.
  • Use a suitably authorised fauna handler for capture, examination or relocation, and release an uninjured bird only into nearby suitable retained habitat identified in the fauna management plan.
  • Take an injured bird to an approved wildlife carer or veterinarian through the project emergency contact, using an appropriately ventilated container and minimal handling.
  • Do not relocate eggs, chicks or a breeding pair without specific approval and advice from the relevant wildlife authority.
  • Record the location, time, condition of the bird, action taken, people involved, photographs where appropriate and the final outcome.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work for any direct injury, trapped bird, bird strike, bird entering a hollow affected by works, active nest, unexpected hollow-bearing tree or damage to a retained habitat feature.
  • Stop work if clearing extends beyond the approved footprint, exclusion fencing fails or a required fauna spotter catcher is absent.
  • Notify the site supervisor, environmental representative and relevant approval contact as soon as practicable after a trigger event.
  • Record daily work areas, trees removed or retained, fauna observations, inspections, incidents, captures, relocations, injuries, mortalities and corrective actions.
  • Report any injury or mortality in accordance with the approval, permit and state wildlife reporting requirements.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Clearance is not complete when machinery leaves the site. Check retained habitat and the work footprint, then continue monitoring where the project has affected nesting resources, food plants or fire-affected habitat.

  • Complete a final inspection of the cleared footprint and retained vegetation for injured, trapped or displaced birds, damaged hollows, exposed nests and unsafe habitat edges.
  • Check that all retained hollow-bearing trees, large future hollow trees, feeding trees, water points and exclusion zones remain intact and accessible.
  • Remove waste, temporary lighting, loose wire, netting and other hazards that could entangle or injure birds.
  • Confirm that fallen habitat features retained under the fauna management plan have not been removed, buried, burnt or relocated without approval.
  • Update the habitat map to show the final clearing footprint, retained trees, damaged features and any new records.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained breeding and roosting habitat during the period specified in the approval or fauna management plan, with particular attention to the October to January breeding period.
  • Monitor post-fire or heavily disturbed areas for use by Gang-gang Cockatoos and for recovery of food plants and hollow resources.
  • Assess whether noise, lighting, dust, altered drainage, weeds or increased predators are affecting retained habitat.
  • Compare post-work detections with pre-work records, noting that absence from a survey does not prove that the habitat is unused.
  • Submit incident reports, survey data, photographs, spatial layers and state wildlife database records to the project regulator or approval holder as required.

After habitat disturbance: Maintain controls and offsets

  • Keep tree protection, exclusion fencing, lighting controls and access restrictions in place for as long as they are required to protect retained habitat.
  • Repair damaged controls promptly and inspect them after storms, fire, construction changes and maintenance activities.
  • Provide an offset where removal of habitat critical to survival cannot be avoided or mitigated, in accordance with the applicable approval and offset policy.
  • Prioritise offsets that permanently protect unprotected habitat, restore native forest and woodland, improve breeding and feeding habitat, reduce edge effects or manage threats near retained habitat.
  • Use offset actions to address identified knowledge gaps where this is accepted under the approval, including monitoring of hollow availability and fire effects.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore food and seasonal habitat

Rehabilitation should restore the food, nesting and roosting resources used by Gang-gang Cockatoos across their seasonal range. It cannot replace mature hollow-bearing trees in the short term, so retain existing trees and protect them while replacement habitat develops.

  • Re-establish locally appropriate native eucalypt woodland and wet sclerophyll forest structure in areas used for breeding and summer habitat.
  • Plant and protect native eucalypts, Acacia and Banksia that provide seeds, buds and other food resources, using species suited to the local vegetation community.
  • Restore lower, drier open eucalypt woodland and riparian or other suitable winter habitat where those communities have been removed or degraded.
  • Retain or restore vegetation near water where this is part of the local breeding, roosting or feeding habitat.
  • Control weeds and prevent ornamental or introduced plantings from replacing native food plants, while recognising that urban birds may use introduced berries and seeds opportunistically.

Rehabilitation actions: Replace nesting and roosting resources

  • Protect all remaining hollow-bearing trees and large trees that may form hollows in future.
  • Install nest boxes or nest tubes only where a site assessment identifies a shortage of hollows, the design is approved and the boxes can be inspected and maintained safely.
  • Use the documented nest box guidance of a vertical box at least 10 metres above ground, with an entrance about 12 centimetres wide and an internal diameter about 22 centimetres, unless the project ecologist specifies a different approved design.
  • Locate artificial hollows near suitable mature trees, foraging habitat and water, and away from intense lighting, roads and predictable disturbance.
  • Inspect nest boxes for use, damage, feral honeybees, possums and other competitors, and record occupancy and breeding outcomes.
  • Retain suitable fallen limbs and logs where they do not create a fire, safety or access risk.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage fire, predators and competitors

  • Apply fire planning that protects retained breeding, roosting and feeding habitat and avoids very large, high-severity burns where practicable.
  • Protect unburnt habitat within or next to recently burnt areas because it may provide refuge after fire.
  • Manage feral honeybees, Common Mynas, starlings, Noisy Miners, other confirmed hollow competitors and Common Brushtail Possums where monitoring shows they are limiting nest use.
  • Use approved nest protection measures, such as tree collars, in peri-urban or urban areas where possums are accessing hollows.
  • Control domestic and feral cats around rehabilitation areas through project access controls, cat containment requirements and wildlife-safe site practices.
  • Prevent the introduction of Psittacine beak and feather disease through hygiene, appropriate handling and reporting of suspected disease.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and monitoring

  • Set measurable targets for survival of planted trees, native canopy cover, retention of hollow-bearing trees, nest box occupancy, feeding records and use of restored habitat.
  • Monitor rehabilitation during establishment and through at least the breeding season specified by the approval, with additional monitoring after fire or extreme heat.
  • Record whether Gang-gang Cockatoos use restored trees, nest boxes, roosts and feeding areas, and whether breeding attempts produce fledged young.
  • Track weed cover, competitor occupancy, possum access, fire impacts and tree mortality, and apply corrective management when targets are not met.
  • Review monitoring results with the project ecologist and regulator, and continue management until the approved rehabilitation and habitat performance criteria are achieved.

Sources