Regarded as one of the best holiday destinations in Asia for bird watching enthusiasts the tropical wonderland known as Sri Lanka offers birders a wealth of opportunities to witness winged beauties in their natural habitat. Home to more than 400 bird species, a whopping 56 varieties of which are indigenous to the island, Sri Lanka is also home to 26 endemic species that inhabit the country’s lush environs. Blessed with sunny skies and warm weather all year round the country is a holiday home for many migratory bird species as well. Easy to navigate bird watching opportunities in the country are mainly concentrated around wildlife sanctuaries that are littered with winged beauties hailing from native lands and foreign countries alike.
The Udawatta Kele Bird Sanctuary is one of the county’s most popular birding hubs. Visitors can hope to observe stunners the likes of Black Capped Bulbuls, Layard’s Parakeets, Chestnut-Headed Bee Eaters and Sri Lankan Hanging Parrots here along with Emerald Doves, Tickells’s Blue Fly Catchers and three types of Kingfishers. The Kithulgala Forest Reserve on the other hand is home to Ceylon Blue Magpies, Frog Mouths, Red faced Malkohas, and Oriental Dwarf Kingfishers while the Kandalama Sanctuary’s 55 acre jungles are home to 1/3 of the birdlife in the country which comes to around 145 bird varieties.
The Knuckles mountain range is spread out across 12 miles and is home to more than 120 species including Dusky-Blue Flycatchers, Yellow-Eared Bulbuls, Yellow-Fronted Barbets, Ceylon Lorikeets, and Ceylon Grackles. Aquatic birds are visible from November to March in the Kalmateiya Bird Sanctuary while the Bodhihingala’s rain forests are teeming with nearly 150 species including the indigenous Legge’s Flowerpeckers, Spot-winged Thrushes, Sri Lanka Spurfowls as well as endangered birds such as the Green-billed Coucal. Indian Blue Robins and Large Cuckooshrikes are also common here while the Sinharaja Forest Reserve in the country’s Sabaragamuwa District boasts lush landscapes littered with Jungle Fowls, Ceylon Bay Owls, Blue Magpies, Crimson Backed Woodpeckers, and Black-crested Bulbuls. White Headed Starlings, Rufous Babblers, and Scimitar Babblers are also found in the nature reserve in addition to Crested Honey Buzzards, Ceylon Green Pigeons, and Hawk Eagles.
Travellers on the lookout for the best Sri Lanka Tours this year should consult Elegant Travels before making reservations. To make your travel Sri Lanka truly memorable, choose from this reputed name in the hospitality industry pulls out all the stops when it comes to unforgettable vacations in the pearl of the Indian Ocean.
Thanuja Silva is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Auburn Silver. She has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.