Sri Lanka is a birds paradise with 435 resident species. There are 26 endemic birds. Most of them are found in the wet zone. The winter migrants come from distant Siberia and western Europe. The reservoirs attract vast number of water birds. The forests attract many other species. There are many birds sanctuaries across the little island 270 km by 140 km in size.

Bird watching

There are several nature routes you can take for a bird watching tour in Sri Lanka.

MUTHURAJAWELA

BELLANVILA

Minneriya,

Kandalalama,

Sigiriya,

Ritigala

Sinharaja Rain Forrest

Dambulla,

Kumana Nationalal Wild life Park

Endemic Birds of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a birds paradise with 435 resident species. There are 26 endemic birds. Most of them are found in the wet zone. The winter migrants come from distant Siberia and western Europe. The reservoirs attract vast number of water birds. The forests attract many other species. There are many birds sanctuaries across the little island 270 km by 140 km in size.

Kumana is situated in east Coast, Bundala, Kalamatiya are is in the southern coast, Sinharaja Rain Forest, Udawatta Kale, Bellanwila, Muthurajawela, Minneriya, Kitulgala and Minipe are other important Bird watching locations. In additions you can see birds through out the country in pockets of forests, lakes, lagoons and river sides during your travel.

26 birds have been identified as endemic birds of Sri Lanka. Most of this birds are threatened by rapid destruction of forest and drying off of water flows.

Lanka Haban Kukula
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	The Ceylon Spurfowl
Scientific Name :	Galloperdix bicalcarata (Forster)

Wali Kukula
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	The Ceylon Junglefowl
Scientific Name :	Gallus lafayettii (Lesson)

Mailagoya
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	The Ceylon Wood Pigeon
Scientific Name :	Columba torringtonii (Bonaparte)

Lanka Giramalitta
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot
Scientific Name :	Loriculus beryllinus (Forster)

Lanka Alu Girawa
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	Layard's Parakeet
Scientific Name :	Psittacula calthrope Blyth

Wataratu Malkoha
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	The Red-Faced Malkoha
Scientific Name :	Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus (Pennant)

Lanka Bata Etikukula
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	The Green Billed Coucal
Scientific Name :	Centropus chlorohynchus Blyth

Lanka Pitathabala Vana-Bassa
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	The Chestnut-Backed Owlet
Scientific Name :	Glaucidium castanonotum (Blyth)

Alu Kadatta
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	The Ceylon Grey Hornbill
Scientific Name :	Ocyceros gingalensis (Shaw)

Rannalal Kottoruwa
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	The Yellow-Fronted Barbet
Scientific Name :	Megalaima flavifrons (Cuvier

Oluwa Rathu Kottoruwa
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	TheYellow-Eared Bulbul
Scientific Name :	Pycnontus penicilatus (Blyth)

Lanka Arangaya
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	Sri Lankan Whistling -Thrust
Scientific Name :	Myiophoneus blighi

Hisakalu Kondaya
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	The Black-capped Bulbul
Scientific Name :	Pycnontus melanicterus

Lanka Thithpiya Thirasikaya
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	The Spotted-Winged Thrush
Scientific Name :	Zoothera spiloptera (Blyth)

Lanka Rasa Raviya
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	Sri Lanka Bush Warbler
Scientific Name :	Bradypterus palliseri (Blyth)

Anduru nil Masimara
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	The Dusky-Blue Flycatcher
Scientific Name :	Eumyias sordida (Walden)

Lanka Mudun Bora Demalichcha
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	The Brown-Capped Babbler
Scientific Name :	Pellorneum fuscopillum

Ratu Demalichcha
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	Sri Lanka Orange-billed babbler
Scientific Name :	Turdoides rufescens (Blyth)

Alu Demalichcha
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	The Ashy-Headed Laughing-Thrush
Scientific Name :	Garrulax cinereifrons (Blyth)

Lanka Pilachcha
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	White-throated Flowerpecker
Scientific Name :	Dicaeum vincens (Scalter)

Lanka Sithasiya
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	The Ceylon White-Eye
Scientific Name :	Zosterops ceylonensis

Kahibella
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	Ceylon Blue Magpie
Scientific Name :	Cissa ornata (Wagler)

Hisa sudu Sharikava
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	Sri Lanka White-faced Starling
Scientific Name :	Sturnus senex (Bonaparte)

Lanka Salalihiniya
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	Sri Lanka Mynah
Scientific Name :	Gracula ptilogenys (Blyth)

Kandukara Wikurulla
Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka

Local Name :	Black-throated Munia
Scientific Name :	Lonchura kelaarti (Jerdon)

Bird Wing Office

BIRDWING Nature Holidays office is situated in Bomiriya, a well wooded village in the Low-level road close to Kaduwela - 20 kms east of the commercial capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo. The lushly vegetated office garden is rich in life particularly birds. During the migratory season (mainly October – April) we get some welcome visitors such as Indian Pitta, Forest Wagtail, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Bright-green Warbler, Asian Brown & Brown-breasted Flycatcher which supplement the residents such as Black-rumped Flameback, Black-hooded Oriole, Shikra, Common Iora, Sri Lanka Small & Brown-headed Barbets, Long-billed and Purple-rumped Sunbirds, Asian Koel, Southern Coucal & the endemic Sri Lanka Swallow. An occasional Lesser Yellownape, Black-headed Cuckoo-shrike, Large Cuckooshrike, Emerald Dove, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Orange-headed Thrush, Small Minivet, Oriental White-eye & Jerdon’s Leafbird provide welcome distractions during office hours. The garden also offers rich pickings of Butterflies which include Blue Mormon, Yamfly, Tailed Jay and good-looking Sri Lanka Birdwing. Dragonflies and Damselflies are also fairly well represented and some of them include Black-headed Basker, Variable Basker, Black Velvet-wing & Purple Skimmer. There is one female Giant Wood Spider living with her diminutive team of mates in a website hosted in a corner. The Gondwanaland relic- Arcavus snails are present in good numbers glued to tree trunks are in their element at night. Green & Common Garden Lizards are the only resident agamid lizards and are dwarfed by a pair of Land Monitors living in a large termite mound in the garden. There is a sizable troop of endemic Purple-faced Leaf Monkey, of which the booming territorial calls of the dominant males add wonderfully to the cacophony of bird calls in the mornings. There is a family of Brown Mongoose that live in a burrow. Foamy nests of the endemic Hour Glass Tree Frog suspended above the water bodies are a common sight especially during the rainy months. Calls of Indian Scops Owl & Brown Hawk fill the air in the evenings often superseded by constant squabbles of Flying foxes fighting for landing rights in Fig and Jack Fruit trees. There is plenty of rainforest flora including an ant-infested Ant-plant and several prestigious members of the ‘Dipterocap’ family. We also do have several badly behaved cats, which occasionally bring home a terrified Indian Pitta or a Yellow-billed Babbler. If you would like to visit our office, please call us to get directions as you could easily get lost in this wilderness. We are happy to share the rich pickings of our garden with you over a fine cuppa and assist your travel needs in Sri Lanka. By the way our area has the cleanest and the best ground water in Sri Lanka as evidenced by many beverage production factories located around such as Coke, Pepsi, Elephant-house soft drinks, Lion beer & a mineral water factory - American Water.