Sri Lanka Birding

Top Birds

Sri Lanka Frogmouth, Sri Lanka Spurfowl, Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Serendib Scops Owl, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Red-faced Malkoha, Green-billed Coucal, Orange-billed Babbler, Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush and Sri Lanka Blue Magpie.

Top Mammals

Asian Elephant (Sri Lanka subspecies), Asian Buffalo, Leopard (Sri Lanka subspecies), Jungle Cat, Fishing Cat, Golden Jackal,
Sloth Bear, Sambar, White-spotted Chevrotain, Red Slender Loris, Toque Macaque, Purple-faced Langur, Layard’s Palm Squirrel, Golden Palm Civet, Indian Crested Porcupine, Indian Pangolin.

Highlights and Top attractions

• Kitulgala – Adventure-sports town on the banks of the Kelani river, boasting a low-country rainforest reserve that holds spectacular endemic species.

• Nuwara Eliya – Colonial hill town surrounded by impressive scenery and immaculate tea plantations. Home to excellent botanical gardens and other birding hotspots.

• Horton Plains National Park – Boasts 750 species of plants, 25 species of mammals and 100 species of birds (including 21 endemics).

• The lake town of “Tissa” – Beautiful, history-rich and home to an amazing variety of water-associated birds.

• Lunugamvehera National Park – Important habitat for Asian Elephants (Sri Lanka subspecies), along with 21 fish species, 12 amphibians, 33 reptiles, 184 birds and 43 other mammals.

• Udawalawe National Park – Open grassland park along the Walawe river that hosts about 250 Asian Elephants and provides excellent water-associated bird habitat.

• Sinharaja Forest Reserve – The 89 km2 (34 sq mi) reserve is a National Park, a Biosphere Reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and boasts the widest variety of forest birds in all of Sri Lanka; it is a treasure trove of endemic species of fauna and flora.