A scarce ground bird found in the dense forests of the southern half of the island.  Strictly a forest bird that can be seen occasionally in the hills up to about 2000 metres, but commonest in the wet zone.  Very shy and secretive.  More often heard than seen.  The unmistakable loud ‘ringing cakle’ revealing its…

Another ground bird distributed throughout the island from the sea level up to the highest hills.  It is shy and wary but in areas adjoining jungle it can be very tame and behaves like a village fowl.  The handsome male is unmistakable with its elongated comb with a yellow spot, orange-red body with the black…

This dark purplish grey pigeon is unmistakable with its chess-board like pattern on the neck.  Vinous underparts and broad tail.  Sexes alike.  Juvenile is duller and has only a hint of the chess-board on the neck.  A scarce forest pigeon of montane forests and nearby well-wooded habitats in the higher hills, occasionally descending to the…

This handsome pigeon is by far the commonest of the Green Pigeons occurring almost throughout the low country and ascending the hills to about 1000 metres or occasionally even higher.  It inhabits both forest, and well-wooded cultivation and home gardens.  This pigeon is arboreal, lives in small flocks and moves about a good deal.  The…

This brilliantly coloured little parrot occurs everywhere in the hills up to about  1300 metres.  It also inhabits the low-country wet zone.  Like other parakeets of the island this is also a green bird with short tail.  Bright red crown shade in to orange in the nape and mantle area.  Rump area is deep red. …

Layard’s Parakeet has blue grey head and mantle, emerald green collar and green underparts. Has a short blue tail with yellowish tip.  Bill of the male is coral red while the duller female has it blackish.  A rather uncommon parakeet which mainly inhabits forested areas of the wet zone.  Smaller numbers occur in the drier…

An unmistakable large bird, with crimson red face, strong pale green bill, white underparts with black breast.  The long graduated tail has white edges and tip.  Dark upperparts has a green sheen.  Female’s iris is white while the male has it brown.  A rare forest bird, mainly inhabiting large rain forests at lower elevations of…

This coucal is slightly smaller than the more common Greater Coucal from which it can be readily distinguished by its large pale-green bill.  The wings are darker chestnut than the Greater Coucal’s.  Has a purple sheen on the head and neck.  Sexes alike.  A rare forest loving bird that inhabits the dense under growth of…

A small rufescent scops-owl with a short tail.  No noticeable ear tufts.  Not so distinct facial disk.  Upperparts are almost completely rufous brown with dark markings.  Under parts are paler rufous with dark triangular spots.  Irides are yellowish in the female and orangish in the male.  This newly described owl has so far been located…

This handsome little owl with its chestnut back, scapulars and wing-coverts has its white underparts marked with blackish shaft-streaks with bars on flanks.  Irides bright yellow and feet pale yellow.  Sexes alike.  A fairly common owlet in the wet zone but does not ascend higher hills.  Lives in pairs and often can be heard and…

Of the two Hornbills occurring in Sri Lanka, this one has its underparts white while the upper parts are grey with a brown crown.  The long grey tail with white tip tend to develop white outer edges with age.  Sexes alike except for the bill of the female is dull black with cream cutting edges. …

This barbet has its front/forehead yellow and also a yellow malar stripe, blue face and throat, scaled appearance to breast, and dark legs and feet.  Sexes alike.  Mainly a bird of the hills up to about 2000 metres, but found in many parts of the low-country wet zone and in some dry zone districts to…

This is a small barbet with bright green upper parts, unstreaked green belly and flanks, orange-yellow face and throat-patches, and very small scarlet breast-spot.  These features distinguish it from the Coppersmith.   Also it has blue running down side of head and upper breast.  Sexes alike.  This is a very common bird in cultivated or openly-wooded…

Although practically the same size as the Black-rumped Flameback, this handsome Woodpecker looks slightly bigger and can be easily distinguished from that species by its crimson back and wings, longer and ivory colour beak, and the different call note.  This is a forest loving species, widely distributed almost throughout the forested parts of the island…

This rather heavily built swallow with its reddish chestnut underparts and rump, is found throughout the lowlands and the hills to 1000 to 1300 metres.  Sexes alike.  It prefers open country and can be seen in pairs or small scattered flocks.  Has a rather slow flight with regular sailing not great height from the ground.…

An inconspicuous small grey bird with a dark mask through the eye like that of the true shrikes.  The female is duller and browner than the male.  Can be seen all over the low country and hills up to about 1000 metres but commoner in the dry zone.  Does not like dense forest.  It is…

In general colouration this bulbul  has olive green upperparts, brown tail with broad white tips to outer tail feathers, yellow throat and underparts with olive tinge on breast and flanks.  Brown flight feathers and yellow underwing.  Male has red iris and female’s iris coulour is brown.  Occurs in pairs or small parties in open forests…

This unmistakable bulbul has distinctive head markings:  blackish crown, long yellow ear tufts and ear-covert patch, and white tufts from lores.  Olive-green upperparts, brown upperwings and tail, yellow underparts with olive tinge on breast and flanks, yellow underwings.  Sexes alike.  This bulbul is essentially an up-country bird never seen below 1000 metres and not really…

A short, stout thrush with an overall black appearance with a black beak and legs.  The short tail, wings and head are slaty -black with a blue tinge on back, scapulars and breast.  The bright blue patch on the shoulder is often hidden on closed wings.  The female is brown, also with blue shoulder patch. …

A thrush with rich olive brown upperparts, two rows of spots on wing coverts and a characteristic black and white facial pattern.  White underparts with black spots on throat, breast and upper belly.  Sexes alike.  This bird is found throughout low country wet zone and the hills up to about 2000 metres.  A bird of…

A rare shy forest loving ground thrush with olive brown above with rufous buff underparts.  The scaly pattern all over the body and a larger and longer bill with its chunky appearance make identification easy.  It is confined to lower hills and higher elevations.  Spends most of its time on the ground turning over the…

Generally dark with rusty-buff throat, dark grey breast, and rounded tail.  Faint pale eyebrow and pale ring around eye.  Olive-brown upperparts with a rusty tinge on rump, olive-grey belly with rufous tinge on flanks and under tail.  Male has red eye and female pale buff.  This skulking shy bird is essentially an inhabitant of the…

Generally dull blue-grey bird with brighter blue forehead, dark lores white belly and undertail coverts.  Brownish flight feathers and tail.  Sexes alike.  Young ones are brown with buff spots on head, back, wing coverts and breast.  This flycatcher is confined to the hills above 650 metres, but it not common below 1000 metres.  An inhabitant…

A bird with sober colours; brown upperparts with darker brown cap and nape; face, supercilium and underparts are cinnamon or pale rusty.  A jungle loving bird that lives in pairs and found throughout the island.  It ascends the hills to at least 1600 metres.  Sexes alike.  Spends much time on the ground turning over leaves…

This very attractive and slenderly built  babbler has a long yellow down-curved bill, long white eyebrow extending onto nape and black eye-stripe.  Upperparts are rusty brown with a dark brown crown, white underparts with brown flanks, vent and undertail coverts.  Sexes alike.  This bird is found in forests almost everywhere, low country and hill country…

This babbler can be easily distinguished from other babblers by its rufous colouration and bright orange bill and legs.  Sexes alike.  Fairly common in all the forests in the wet zone and in the hills to the highest elevations.  Though it is a forest bird it often ventures in to well-wooded gardens in adjacent areas. …

Easily distinguished from the Rufour Babbler by its mainly black bill, dark grey legs, ashy/grey head, pale eyes, and dark reddish-brown back, wings and tail.  It is also a neater looking babbler.  Sexes alike.  It is confined to the deep forests of the wet zone and the adjacent hills.  It ascends to at least 1600…

Can be distinguished from rather similar looking Purple-rumped Sunbird by its short, stout bill.  Males have dark blue-grey upperparts with white tips on outer tail feathers (less apparent in female), white throat and upper breast.  Rest of the underparts are yellow paling to white on undertail coverts.  Females are generally paler with grey-olive upperparts.  This…

Readily distinguished from the Oriental White-eye by its larger size and darker green/jungle green plumage, and also the heavier bill.  The white eye-ring is more widely broken at front than in Oriental.  Lower breast, belly and flanks are greyish-white.  Sexes alike.  Often forms large scattered flocks.  It is found only in the hills above 1000…

Previously considered a race of the Greater Racket-tailed Drongo which occurs in the dry zone.  The frontal crest, glossy black plumage and long, deeply-forked tail without the rackets make it easy to identify.  A very vocal mimic that imitates a variety of birds.  Sexes alike.  It inhabits the tall forests of the wet zone ascending…

This large beautiful bird cannot be mistaken for any other Sri Lankan species.  Mainly bright blue with red bill, and eye-ring and legs; chestnut head and neck; long graduated blue tail with black and then white tip.  Sexes alike.  It inhabits the forests of the hills and wet-zone foot-hills.  A scarce bird seen in small…

A sleek slenderly built bird with white forehead, face, throat and undertail coverts.  The white of the head merges streakily into the greenish-grey-black of the back, wings and tail while the white throat shades into the smokey-grey of the breast and underparts which are streaked with white.  The bill colour is pale greyish-green and the…

A glossy black bird with a pair of yellow wattles on the nape and a white wing patch.  Very pale grey eye, black-based orange-red bill.  Sexes alike.  This can be easily distinguished from the Southern Hill Myna (the only other Sri Lankan bird with which this can be confused) by the presence of only a…