Australian capital's faunal emblem listed as endangered species

The faunal emblem of Australia's capital city has been added to the country's threatened species list.

Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley recently wrote to her counterpart in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Rebecca Vassarotti, informing her that the gang-gang cockatoo will be officially listed as "endangered" following a significant decline in population numbers.

The gang-gang, which makes its home inside hollow trees, is native to southeastern Australia.

It is the faunal emblem of the ACT with an estimated figure of more than 100 individuals calling Canberra home.

Ley said the decision to move the parrot to the threatened species list was based on advice from the Commonwealth Threatened Species Scientific Committee.

The Department of the Environment in 2021 revealed that the national gang-gang population has declined by 69 percent over the last 21 years as a result of bushfires and climate change.

As an endangered species, an official recovery plan will be developed for the gang-gang.

Vassarotti said the ACT government welcomed the decision to list the bird, which provides additional focus to work collectively to protect this important species.

"Gang-gangs are a much-loved species in Canberra, and so, obviously, we are saddened by the announcement," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

"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."