Birds of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka birdwatching guide

With 33 species found nowhere else on earth, Sri Lanka is one of Asia’s premier birdwatching destinations. From the emerald rainforests of Sinharaja to the flamingo-filled lagoons of Bundala, the island rewards every birdwatcher — beginner or expert.

453

Recorded species

33

Endemic species

200+

Migratory species

4

Key habitats

Sri Lanka junglefowl​
Sri Lanka junglefowl

Gallus lafayettii

Sri Lanka’s national bird and one of its most spectacular endemics. The male displays brilliant golden-red plumage. Found across forests island-wide and often heard at dawn.

Least concern

Endemic

Sri Lanka blue magpie​
Sri Lanka blue magpie

Urocissa ornata

 One of the most beautiful birds in Asia — vivid blue and chestnut with a long elegant tail. Travels in noisy family parties through the wet zone rainforest canopy.

Vulnerable

Endemic

Sri Lanka hanging parrot​
Sri Lanka hanging parrot

Loriculus beryllinus

A tiny, brilliantly green endemic parrot that roosts hanging upside down from branches. Common in forest gardens and wet zone forests, often spotted at fruiting trees.

Least concern

Endemic

Brown fish owl
Brown fish owl

Ketupa zeylonensis

Large owl with piercing golden eyes. Sri Lanka holds unusually high numbers.

Least concern

Layard's parakeet​
Layard's parakeet

Psittacula calthrapae

Soft grey-green head, vivid red bill, emerald body. Feeds in noisy flocks.

Endemic

Spot-winged thrush
Spot-winged thrush

Geokichla spiloptera

An endemic ground thrush identified by bold black facial stripes, a rufous crown, and two rows of white spots across the wing. Forages quietly among leaf litter in wet zone forest.
 

Least concern

Endemic

Ceylon paradise-flycatcher​ (White)
Ceylon paradise-flycatcher

Terpsiphone paradisi ceylonensis

Glossy black head, soft crest, and long white tail streamers trailing through the canopy.

Endemic subspecies

Ceylon paradise-flycatcher​
Ceylon paradise-flycatcher

Terpsiphone paradisi ceylonensis

 One of the most beautiful birds in Asia — vivid blue and chestnut with a long elegant tail. Travels in noisy family parties through the wet zone rainforest canopy.

Endemic subspecies

Yellow-fronted barbet
Yellow-fronted barbet

Psilopogon flavifrons

Endemic barbet with a vivid yellow face and heavy red bill, calling from the mid-canopy.

Endemic

Sri Lanka rufous babbler
Sri Lanka rufous babbler

Argya rufescens

Bright orange bill and legs against rufous-brown plumage. Travels in noisy flocks.
Endemic

Endemic

Little cormorant
Little cormorant

Microcarbo niger

Familiar sight on lagoons, often perched upright on posts drying its wings.

Least concern

Oriental dwarf kingfisher
Oriental dwarf kingfisher

Ceyx erithaca

Fiery orange body, lilac rump, deep purple wings. Darts along shaded forest streams.

Least concern

Crested serpent eagle
Crested serpent eagle

Spilornis cheela spilogaster

Sri Lanka’s most common large raptor. This younger bird shows the paler, white-flecked head typical before adult plumage develops. Feeds mainly on snakes and other reptiles.

Endemic subspecies

Least concern

Jungle owlet​
Jungle owlet

Glaucidium radiatum

A tiny, finely barred owl with piercing yellow eyes and no ear tufts. Often perches openly in daylight and can be mobbed by small birds when discovered at its roost.

Dry Zone Forest

Least concern

Black-winged kite
Black-winged kite

Elanus caeruleus

A pale, owl-faced raptor with striking red eyes and black shoulder patches. Hunts by hovering over open grassland, kestrel-style, scanning for rodents below.
Least concern

Least concern

Open grassland

Sri Lanka frogmouth (pair)
Sri Lanka frogmouth (pair)

Batrachostomus moniliger

A masterclass in camouflage — the rufous-brown female and grey-brown male roost side by side, motionless, resembling broken branches. Nocturnal and rarely seen by day.

Endemic to SL & Western Ghats

Least concern

Tickell's blue flycatcher (male)
Tickell's blue flycatcher (male)

Cyornis tickelliae jerdoni

A small, vivid flycatcher with deep blue upperparts and a warm orange throat fading to white below. The Sri Lankan race is its own endemic subspecies, found in scrub and forest edge.

Endemic subspecies

Least concern

Grey-headed swamphen
Grey-headed swamphen

Porphyrio poliocephalus

A large, deep blue-purple wetland bird with a pale grey head and a stout red bill. Walks confidently across floating vegetation, often flicking its tail to flash white undertail feathers.

Least concern

Marshes & lakes

Crimson-backed flameback (female)
Crimson-backed flameback (female)

Chrysocolaptes stricklandi

An endemic woodpecker with a deep crimson back and an ivory-coloured bill. This female shows the black-and-white spotted forehead that distinguishes her from the fully red-crowned male.

Endemic 

Least concern

White-browed fantail
White-browed fantail

Rhipidura aureola

A small, restless flycatcher known for fanning its tail as it darts through the undergrowth. This younger bird shows the rufous-tipped feathers typical of immature plumage, paling as it matures.

Open woodland

Least concern

Sri Lanka green pigeon
Sri Lanka green pigeon

Treron pompadora

A plump, fruit-eating endemic with a soft yellow head and breast and a deep maroon back found only in males. Quiet and easily overlooked among the canopy foliage it feeds in.

Endemic 

Least concern

Orange minivet
Orange minivet

Pericrocotus flammeus

A vivid forest songbird — glossy black head and upperparts contrasted against a fiery orange-scarlet body. Usually travels in small, active flocks through the mid and upper canopy.

Wet zone forest

Least concern

Black-hooded oriole
Black-hooded oriole

Oriolus xanthornus

A striking yellow bird with a solid black hood and a bright red bill. Frequently visits fig and fruiting trees in gardens, groves, and open woodland across the island.

Gardens & groves

Least concern

Malabar pied hornbill
Malabar pied hornbill

Anthracoceros coronatus

A large black-and-white hornbill with a heavy yellow bill and casque. Near Threatened across its range, it favours evergreen and deciduous forest in Sri Lanka’s dry zone.

Dry zone forest

Near threatened

Pied kingfisher
Pied kingfisher

Ceryle rudis

A shy, ground-loving migrant with glossy deep blue upperparts. It arrives in Sri Lanka’s hill forests each winter, skulking through dense undergrowth and leaf litter.

Rivers & lakes

Least concern

Indian blue robin
Indian blue robin

Larvivora brunnea

A striking yellow bird with a solid black hood and a bright red bill. Frequently visits fig and fruiting trees in gardens, groves, and open woodland across the island.

Hill forest, winter visitor

Least concern

Tickell's blue flycatcher
Tickell's blue flycatcher

Cyornis tickelliae jerdoni

A small, upright flycatcher of dense scrub and forest edge. The Sri Lankan race is its own distinct subspecies, often spotted sallying for insects from a low perch.

Endemic subspecies

Least concern

Sri Lanka white-eye
Sri Lanka white-eye

Zosterops ceylonensis

An endemic highland species named for its bold ring of white feathers around the eye. Travels in sociable flocks through montane forest, gardens, and tea country.

Endemic

Least concern

Square-tailed bulbul
Square-tailed bulbul

Hypsipetes ganeesa humii

A sooty-grey bulbul with a shaggy black crest and a bright red bill, often heard giving its odd cat-like meow. Travels in noisy flocks through montane wet zone forest.

Montane forest

Least concern