A question of trust - Gang Gang Cockatoo

 Halls Gap  - Victoria 

 Original Sold  Prints Avaliable

 Pastel on Super tooth Paper  

Gang gang cockatoos are fairly common here in the Grampians National Park and I come across them when cycling most days. The first indication of their presence is usually a dry squarking creak......kind of like the sound made by a cork being twisted in the neck of a Scotch whiskey bottle.

When on the move they can be quite difficult to observe but once they are feeding you could possibly sit down next to them and have a quiet beer and they would not move away. In fact I have on occasion climbed up into the higher branches of a eucalypt to sit on the same limb and watch them feeding happily on the seed capsules.

Only the male has the racy-red, punk hair style shown clearly in this pastel painting. The female sports a much more subtle, barred apricot breast.

This male was feeding with his partner on the eucalypts in my mate's front yard not far from here. They were down at my head height and allowed me to approach within 3 metres. They showed no fear at all and eventually I left them in peace to continue their feed.