Where "Gang-gang" Comes From
Photo by Peter Shanks, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
"Gang-gang" comes from an Indigenous language of southeastern New South Wales (probably one of the coastal languages, though possibly Wiradjuri), imitating the bird's distinctive, rasping call.
Its call is famously compared to the sound of a squeaky rusty gate or a cork being slowly pulled from a wine bottle. They feed in high eucalypt canopies, feeding mainly on eucalypt flowers, buds and seeds, plus berries and other fruit.
“We heard the gang-gangs before we saw them â their funny creaky-door call echoing down the valley.”
How Aussies Actually Use It
The gang-gang cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum) is the proud official bird emblem of the Australian Capital Territory (Canberra).
Birdwatchers and locals love spotting their distinctive red crests throughout mountain forests in southeastern Australia.
ð Sources & Further Reading
- Borrowings from Aboriginal Languages â Australian National Dictionary Centre, ANU
- List of English words of Australian Aboriginal origin — Wikipedia
- Gang-gang cockatoo - Wikipedia
- Gang-gang Cockatoo - Australian Museum
Part of our Aboriginal Loanwords collection →
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