Bird Watching - Best Birding Sites

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Some best Birding Sites in Sri Lanka, covered in our tour plan

1. Muthurajawela Marshes - This is a unique wetland, located between Colombo and Negambo and an extensive area of wetland which is under threat of development. Both nature lovers and serious birders will enjoy half a day at visitors center including a boat ride to provide a view of unique tropical wetland, with its flora and fauna of marshes, waters and mangrove forest.
   
   Highlights - Basically species composition is similar to the other marshy areas in Colombo . Purple Heron, King Fishes (Common, Stork-billed, Pied, White breasted, Black capped), Little and Intermediate Egrets, Common Moorhen, Purple Coot, Little Grebe, Lesser whistling Duck, Common Caucal, Shikra, Serpent Eagle, Brahming kite, Grey and Purple Heron and migrant waders, specially terns etc.
   
   
2. Ingiriya Forest Reserve (Bodhinagala) - This is only a small secondary lowland rain forest patch in the area of Ingiriya. It is one of the best sites for the endemic Green - Billed Coucal.
   
   Highlights - Some endemics birds such as Hanging Parrot, Green Billed Coucal, Spur Fowl, Yellow Fronted Barbet, Layard's Parakeet, Grey Hornbill, with Malabar Trogon, Emerald Dove, Greater crested Drongo, Dark fronted Babbler, Black napped Monarch, Tickells Blue fly catcher etc.
   
   
3. Kelani Valley Forest Reserve (Kithulgala) - Kithulgala forest is secondary lowland rain forest reserve to protect the water shed of the Kelani River . The forest area extending up to the higher elevations, continuous with the Peak wilderness forest area, one of the best places to see Sri Lanka 's endemic birds.
   
   Highlights - Green billed Coucal, Grey Hornbill, Sri Lanka Spurfowl, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Yellow fronted Barbet, Red faced Malkoha, Spot winged Thrush, Rofous Babbler, Ashey headed Laughingthrush, with lesser Yellow napped, Pygmy and Crimson backed wood peckers, Black Bulbul, Black napped Monarch and Ceylon frog mouth etc.
   
   
4. Sinharaja Old Growth Rain forest - One of the best and easy sites. To see many of the endemics and mixed species birds feeding flocks. A UNESCO world heritage site since 1988 and home for the most endemic flora and fauna species in Sri Lanka.
   
   Interestingly, a few endemic and other species thought to be confined to the hill zone, such as Sri Lanka White Eye (E), Scaly Thrush, Wood Pigeon (E), Duskey Blue Fly Catcher (Morning side area), Yellow eared Bulbul (morning side area) have also been sighted at Sinharaja.
   
   Mixed species of bird flocks are one of the most interesting experience of the forest. As per very recent observations, this flocks reveal that over 40 individuals and 11 varieties of bird species averagely.
   
   Highlights - Endemic birds such as Sri Lanka Magpie including Serendib Scops Owl who discovered very recently to the world.
   
   
5. Uda Walawa National Park - This park is situated in the Dry Zone and renowned for its out standing scenic beauty and wealth of faunal species, particularly mammals and birds. The possibility to view the elephants at close range has become another main attraction.
   
   Highlights - Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl, Sri Lanka Grey Horn Bill (E), Malabar pied Horn Bill, Woolly - necked Stork, Black headed Ibies, Black shouldered Kite, Crested Serpent Eagle, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Shikra, Sirkeer Malkoha, Blue faced Malkoha etc.
   
   
6. Kalametiya - A wet land with two brackish lagoons, mangrove swamps and open areas with pockets of scrub jungle. A very important site for migrant shore birds.
   
   Highlights- Asian Open Bill, Purple Coot, Black winged Stilt, Eurasian Spoonbill, Black headed Ibies, Migrants includes Greater and Lesser Sand Plover, Curlew and Marsh Sand Pipers, Green Shank, Red Shank, Little Stint, Kentish Plover, Yellow Wagtail, Rosy Starling etc.
   
   
   
7. Bundala National Park - This is the First Ramsor site in Sri Lanka and it is the most important wetland for birds outside the Northern Province . The lagoons and saltants of the park are among the most important wintering areas for migratory shore birds in the Country.
   
   Highlights - Greater Flamingo, Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl (E), Great Egret, Asian Open Bill, Black winged Stilt, Yellow wattled Lapwings, Painted Storks and Large numbers of migrants including Plovers, Sand Pipers, Turnes and Ducks, Rosy Starling, Bharahuramy Myna etc.
   
   
8. Ruhunu National Park (Yala) - The best park in the country for viewing mammals but rich with birds too. Yala characteristic of dry zone tropical thorn forest, Scrub jungles, brackish lagoons and riverine habitats. Raptors could be oftenly seen. During the North- East monsoon the lagoons are visited by thousands of migrating waders, turns and water birds.
   
   Highlights - Crested serpent Eagle, White Bellied Sea Eagle, Tank Eagle, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Black necked Storkes, Painted Storke, Lesser Adjutant, Sirkeer Malkoha, Blue Faced Malkoha, Green and Eurasian Bee eater, Brahmany Myna, Rosy Starting, Hoopoo Pee Fowl, Pigeons and Doves, Parakeets and many more waders, Turns, Water birds etc.
   
   
9. Horton Plains National Park - Horton plains, its surroundings mountain forests and grasslands constitute Sri Lanka 's most important catchment area of most all major rivers. The plains are also of outstanding scenic beauty. It is of conservation importance, containing most of the habitats and endemics plants and animals representatives of the country's wet and montane zones.
   
   Highlights - A reliable site for the crepuscular Sri Lanka whistling Thrush (E), Endemic endangered bird. SL Blue Magpie (E), Mountain Hawk Eagle, Black Eagle, SL Hill Munia, Dull Blue flycatcher (E), Yellow eared Bulbul (E), Pied Bush Chat, Grey Tit, Black Bird, Sri Lanka Bush Wabler (E), Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon (E) etc.
   
   
10. Around Nuwara Eliya -Nuwara Eliya is a popular hill resort providing cool and pleasant base for a number of Montane sites which include Victoria Park and Hakgala Botanical Garden . The spreading hills and vales are covered with the world's best high grown tea bushes like a green carpet. The fragrance of fresh tea leaves from the tea factories infuse the mild air.
    
    Highlights - Sri Lanka white Eye (E), Sri Lanka Bush Wabler (E), Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon (E), Dull Blue Flycatcher (E), Indian Blue Robin, Canary Flycatcher, Black Bird etc. (Hakgala)
    Black bird, Yellow earned Bulbul (E), Pied Thrush, Canary Fly catcher, Indian Pitta, Green Sandpiper etc. (Victoria Park)
    
    
11. Around Kandy - Kandy an ancient town, nestling among the hills, is a major tourist center with the famous temple of the Tooth over looking a lake which usually holds a few water birds like Cormorants, Eagrets, King Fishers etc. Kandy is the kingdom of the last King of Sri Lanka before the country came under British colonialism.
    
    Udawattekale Sanctuary, Dunumadalawa Forest reserve and Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya are good places for birds including a few endemics such as Layard's Parakeets, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Yellow fronted Barbet, Brown capped Babbler, White rumped Sharma, Tickels Blue Flycatcher etc.

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