April 27th, 2025Hepburn Wildlife News
with Marita McGuirk
When you are driving along a country road and you see birds by the roadside, it is always advisable to slow down. If the birds take flight, there is a good chance that they will fly into your car.
This is what happened to the two gang-gang cockatoos currently recovering at the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter.
These birds flew into a passing car and have concussion and bruising. Luckily, the car was going slowly, or the outcome would have been much worse for the birds.
Gang-gang cockatoos are now listed as an endangered species. A large portion of their habitat was destroyed in the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 and habitat is being lost daily as land clearing and native-forest logging continues.
These birds nest in the hollows that form in trees and most eucalypts (gum, box and stringybark), will be over 80 years old before decent nest-bearing hollows have formed, which makes nesting places few and far between.
This is why it is so important to retain and protect any large old trees, even if they are dead, as they will still be home to many animals.
Gang-gang cockatoos will often be seen in pairs because they are monogamous and mate for life. They mostly eat seeds from eucalyptus and wattles and will also eat flower buds and insects.
In late spring they may be seen in the Hepburn State Forest enjoying the seeds from the local wattle trees. They are not as raucous as other cockatoos, and you may not know they are above you until you hear dislodged seeds falling to the ground.
In recent times they have developed a taste for exotic species, namely hawthorn berries. These berries are a favourite food for the gang-gangs recovering at the shelter.
Marita McGuirk is a field ecologist and environmental scientist, and a volunteer at the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter. Marita will write monthly columns about the shelter and the animals it cares for. If you would like to donate or volunteer, or just to find out more information, head to www.hepburnwildlifeshelter.org
