Bird Watching Holiday in Sri Lanka: Birds of Sri Lanka

Your Guide to the best of Sri Lanka, the Destination Paradise

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Adventure >> Bird Watching

Bird Watching

Paradise for Bird Life

Sri Lanka is home to over 400 species of birds and has long been a birdwatcher's paradise. With 129 varieties of migrant birds and 26 species having been identified as endemic birds of Sri Lanka - the entire island is teeming with bird life. Seasonal migrant birds who shuttle between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere often use the island as a point of relaxation due to its strategic location.

A bird watcher can easily observe as much as 230 species at any given time. The wide variations in elevation from sea level to highlands create unique climatic conditions within short distances rarely found in other countries. As a result, birds can be spotted everywhere especially in national parks, bird sanctuaries, the precincts of man-made reservoirs and tanks, river banks, the lagoons, the slatterns and the rain forests.

'It is most improbable that a bird entirely new to science could now exist in Ceylon', a foremost authority on Sri Lankan birdlife once wrote in 1951. Just over half a century later, a new scops-owl, a bird totally overlooked by collectors and field naturalists - was added to the list of Sri Lanka's endemics. However many of these rare species are presently being threatened by rapid deforestation and drying up of water holes.

Given below are some of the 'hotspots' for bird watching in Sri Lanka.

Kandalama Sanctuary
This lush 55-acre forest with trees dating back to a hundred years is nestled around the Kandalama tank and is home to a rich variety of birdlife and medicinal plants. Kandalama offers one of the country's most spectacular bird watching opportunities. From arboreal, terrestrial, aquatic birds to waders and raptors.

Sinharaja Man and Biosphere Reserve
Declared a world heritage site in 1988 due to its treasure throve of biodiversity, this reserve encompasses some of the few remaining sizeable tracts of undisturbed primary lowland rainforests in the world.

Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary
Kalametiya is one of the country's oldest bird sanctuaries. This wetland wonder comprises two salt water lagoons, mangrove swamps and open areas with pockets of scrub jungles. The park attracts migrant shorebirds, flamingoes, and black capped purple kingfishers.

Kumana Bird Sanctuary
This mangrove swampland is situated in the northeast of the Yala National Park and is an ideal habitat for native and migratory aquatic birds such as ibis, herons, and pheasants.

Udawattekale Sanctuary
This picturesque forest is situated close to Kandy and is a popular haven for the indigenous lyre-headed lizard, butterflies, flora and native birds. Among them being the Sri Lanka hanging parrot, yellow-fronted barbet, ceylon small barbet, black-capped bulbul, brown-capped babbler, gold-fronted leafbird, blue-winged leafbird, emerald dove, brown flycatcher and the chestnut-headed bee-eater.

Muthurajawela Marsh Sanctuary
Muthurajawela is the largest saline peat bog in Sri Lanka and is a refuge for water birds and crocodiles too.

Bellanwila-Attidiya Bird Sanctuary
The Bellanwila-Attidiya marsh for a long time has been an attractive site for naturalists and bird watchers. This sanctuary is a valuable residual fragment of the once extensive marshlands around Colombo and a flood retention area for Colombo.

Bird Watching Advice and Tips

Bird watching is a group activity as well as an individual hobby
Dress in green, khaki or brown so that you can blend in easier with surroundings
Silence is golden and patience is essential
The well being and comfort of the birds are important
Start early in the morning
Write down what birds you see, where and when you see them, and what the birds are doing. Many years from now, your vacation memories could become scientific treasures
A guide is always useful
Remember local bird names and their call

Twenty Five Rare Birds Native to Sri Lanka Include: