Located off the Indian subcontinent, the island of Sri Lanka is a nature lover’s paradise. Its topography creates a varied climate which, combined with different levels of vegetation, creates many natural environments in which colourful, diversified birds live, including several endemic species. This top 12 presents some of the wonders of this island country.
Sri Lanka Junglefowl
Sri Lanka Junglefowl (Gallus lafayettii) is a colourful wild fowl species endemic to Sri Lanka. It occupies a variety of habitats and feeds mainly on seeds.
Although resembling the domestic hen, this species does not adapt well to captivity. The chicks quickly leave the nest.
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Painted Stork
Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) is a large Asian wader species in the Ciconiidae family. Imposing, it reaches 1 m in height for a wingspan of 1.5 m. It appreciates wetlands where it hunts fish, frogs and other small aquatic animals. It waves its legs in the water and quickly closes its long beak on the prey that comes close to it.
It usually nests in colonies and is sedentary in Sri Lanka.
Spot-billed Pelican
Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis) is a species of bird in the Pelecanidae family. It feeds on fish, caught from the surface of the water in the pocket of its characteristic beak. It is potentially threatened and its populations have declined sharply. It has notably disappeared (or almost) from Burma.
Brahminy Kite
Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) is a particularly elegant species of raptor. Indeed, its brown plumage enhanced with white on the head and neck gives it a magnificent costume.
It is medium in size and has about the same dimensions as the Black kite. It is often spotted by the different cries it utters in flight. It has a large range, extending from India to Australia. Partially scavenger, it also hunts live prey.
Pheasant-tailed Jacana
Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus) is a water-loving bird. It lives mainly in the lotus swamps of Southeast Asia. With its long slender fingers and its featherweight (100 to 250 g), it moves from one sheet to another without sinking.
It is only during the nuptial period that the male wears his long tail, made up of two flight feathers. This bird usually lives in small groups. Plants and small invertebrates make up the bulk of its diet.
Greater Painted-Snipe
Greater Painted-Snipe (Rostratula benghalensis) is a widespread species of wader, since it lives in both Africa and Asia. It likes hot areas and northern India is the northern limit of its range.
Unlike many other birds, the females have the most spectacular plumage (as in the photo). It is a very discreet bird, especially active at dusk and on clear nights. In case of disturbance, it stops moving instead of fleeing, which makes it almost invisible in the vegetation.
Orange-breasted Green-Pigeon
Orange-breasted Green-Pigeon (Treron bicinctus) is a species of bird in the Columbidae family. This colourful pigeon has a chest subtly coloured orange and purple.
It is often perched high in trees where it feeds on fruits and seeds, often in small groups.
Alexandrine Parakeet
Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria) is a species of bird in the Psittacidae family. Its vernacular name is a tribute to Emperor Alexander the Great, who had it exported to various countries and regions of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea. The species can therefore be observed far from its native range.
It is a herbivorous species that can cause damage to crops (especially cereals and fruits).
Stork-billed Kingfisher
Stork-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis) is a particularly colourful bird. It catches small fish in lakes and rivers and also hunts small animals on land. It often uses the same perch to locate its preys.
Coppersmith Barbet
Coppersmith Barbet (Psilopogon haemacephalus) lives in many types of forests and even in parks to the heart of cities. A gregarious bird, it can form groups of around a hundred individuals. It feeds mainly on fruit and sometimes also on insects.
The pair dig their nest in a dead branch.
Sri Lanka Gray Hornbill
Sri Lanka Gray Hornbill (Ocyceros gingalensis) is endemic to Sri Lanka where it is widely distributed and quite abundant. It feeds mainly on figs and sometimes supplements its diet with animals (rodents, reptiles, etc.). Like other hornbills, the female lays her eggs in the cavity of a trunk and locks herself there with the help of cement (a mixture of excrement and fruit pulp). The male then takes care of the food supply.
Indian Paradise-Flycatcher
Indian Paradise-Flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi) is classified in the family Monarchidae. As its name suggests, it feeds on insects caught in flight.
Only the male has a very long tail up to 30 cm, more than the rest of the bird.
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