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| Birds Watching... |
| Sri Lanka 's abundant bird-life makes the island a true Ornithologist's paradise. Of the 427 recorded species, 250 are resident and 23 are endemic to the country. With such a variety of environments ranging from wet to dry zone, forest to jungle, and hill country to low lands, there's no end to the fascinating locations in which to spot many of these beautiful birds. Most of the endemic birds (such as the Sri Lankan grackle) are restricted to the wet zone, while birds such as the Sri Lanka whistling thrush and the yellow-eared bulbul reside in the hill country. Others, like the brilliantly plumaged jungle fowl, the striking red-faced malkoha and the shy brown-capped babbler can be found in forests and sanctuaries throughout the island. |
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| Birds Life... |
Of all animals, birds probably give the greatest pleasure to mankind. Their graceful forms, beautiful colours, soft plumage, songs, power of flight, and the ease with which they may be watched, combine to make them objects of joy and admiration throughout the world. Sri Lanka is fortunate in having a rich diversity of avifauna, in fact one of the richest in any comparable area of South Asia. A tropical climate, isolation from the mainland and a diversity of habitats are the main factors behind such abundance. Indeed, the island boasts over 400 bird species. There are 227 residents of which 26 are endemic. It is these endemics that many birdwatcher-visitors to Sri Lanka want to see.
There are some endemics that are particularly striking. The Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, for instance, has a turquoise chest and back, white-barred blue tail, and a chestnut head. The red-faced Malkoha has a glossy black back, wings and tail, while in contrast, a white front, red head and a green beak. Then there is the Sri Lanka hanging Parrot, which has a red cap, yellow nape, and bright green wings and breast. In addition to the endemics, 95 migrants, 24 pelagic (sea birds), and 75 incidental species have been recorded in the island. Of the many migrant birds, the Waders (Stints, Sandpipers, Pplovers, terns, etc) are the most remarkable, some of them travelling annually from their breeding grounds as far away as the Arctic tundra. The most flamboyant of the visitors, however, is the Greater Flamingo, which flies in from the Rann of Kutch, India.
Sri Lanka is an excellent bird watching destination because a great variety of birds can be viewed within a relatively short space of time. Indeed, due to the island's small size birdwatchers can visit virtually all of the good sites in a fortnight. Furthermore, the visitor on a limited schedule can combine sites of endemic species with sites of general. |
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