Canberra's faunal emblem is edging closer to extinction, with the gang-gang cockatoo set to be added to the list of threatened species.
Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley recently emailed ACT Environment Minister Rebecca Vassarotti to advise her that the parrots would be moved to the "endangered" category of the threatened species list.
Ms Ley cited advice from the Commonwealth Threatened Species Scientific Committee to move the parrot onto the threatened list.
The distinctive ash-grey birds are the faunal emblem of the ACT and can be found in gardens across the territory.
But climate change factors and bushfires have pushed the birds closer to the brink.
Professor Sarah Legge is part of the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, and said the birds were in trouble before the fires, too.
"The 2019 and 2020 wildfires really brought this bird to the attention of the Threatened Species Scientific Committee ... but it was in decline even prior to the fires, and the fires sort of made it worse," she said.
One study found the population of gang-gangs had declined by up to 70 per cent.
Ms Vassarotti said the news was disheartening, but the listing provided an opportunity for the ACT government to focus its attention on conservation.
"But we do welcome the announcement because what this does, is it provides us with the opportunity to increase focus on the species and it means that we will be able to work with other jurisdictions in terms of understanding what the health of this species is."
Ms Vassarotti added that while the species was beloved by Canberrans, more could be known about the birds.
“We are very focused on what we need to do in our local environment," she said.
"Our researchers and ecologists are doing some fantastic work understanding what they need."
