Gang-gang Cockatoo feather collection

Summary

The ACT Government is studying the genetics of Gang-gang Cockatoos in collaboration with the ANU Difficult Bird Research Group. We are collecting feathers, which provide unique genetic information to learn about their biology without disturbance.

Background

In March 2022, the gang-gang was officially listed as an endangered species, following a recommendation from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, which noted the bird’s population had declined by approximately 69 per cent in the last three generations.

Feathers are important because they contain genetic information unique to each bird. Feathers provide insight into the biology and ecology of a bird without being intrusive.

Understanding genetics of these birds tells us their effective population size. This can help with planning conservation strategies to protect the species from extinction. Genetics from their feathers may also provide insights into their habitat use, mating systems and conservation status across their range.

Project goals

The project aims to:

• better understand the distribution and abundance of gang-gangs within the ACT
• identify areas critical for foraging and breeding.

Better understanding the detectability and ecology of the bird is critical to develop an ongoing monitoring protocol that can be applied in the ACT and other areas across its distribution.

Project details

The ACT Government is researching and understanding the population genetics of Gang-gang Cockatoos in our region. We're working with the ANU Difficult Bird Research Group to collect the feathers of Gang-gang Cockatoos.

This project is licenced under Section 273 of the Nature Conservation Act 2014.

Project partners / funding information

[None – please leave out this section]

What you can do

Anyone in the community can help with this project. You can help us by collecting Gang-gang feathers that you may find and contacting the research team.

Gang-gangs have 8 main feather types that contain DNA. Find out more about identifying Gang-gang Cockatoo feathers.

We have a higher chance of extracting genetic information from feathers that are in good condition. When collecting and storing Gang-gang feathers, make sure you consider the following:

• Genetic information is collected from the end of the quill, so try not to handle this end too much.
• If the feather is wet, air dry at room temperature before storing in an envelope.

Each feather should be placed in its own sealed envelope. If you find multiple feathers in the same location that could be from the same individual, they can be stored together.

Use gloves or be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling feathers.

When sending us feathers please:

• place the feather in an envelope
• print the collector's name on the envelope
• include the location of where the feathers were found (GPS coordinates if possible)
• date of collection
• contact the research team for details on delivering the feathers.

More information

Contact