Collared Pratincole/දිඟු පෙඳ ලිහිණි ඔලෙය්යා/මාල ජවසැරියා (Glareola pratincola)

 Rather rare winter migrant to dry coastal lowlands. Gregarious and few to several birds keep together in bare ground around coastal wetlands. The Collared Pratincole feeds on insects both in flight and on the ground, mainly in the late afternoon or during overcast weather. During the heat of the day, it rests on bare ground or short grass, especially near water. It breeds from the Mediterranean region through Central Asia to Pakistan, and also in parts of Africa.

Pied Harrier/ගෝමර බිම් උකුස්සා/ගෝමර හැරිකුස්සා (Circus melanoleucos)

A very rare winter migrant to open scrubland, grasslands, marshes, and paddy fields across the country, mainly in the dry lowlands. It typically glides slowly just a few feet above the ground over marshes, paddy fields, and other open habitats, feeding on frogs, rodents, lizards, small birds, snakes, grasshoppers, and similar prey. It often perches on the ground and roosts at night in open fields and marshes, sometimes loosely associating with other harriers of the same or different species. The Pied Harrier breeds in the tundra regions of eastern Asia.

Western Marsh Harrier/වගුරු බිම් උකුස්සා/වගුරු හැරිකුස්සා (Circus aeruginosus)

An uncommon winter migrant to marshes, grasslands, and paddy fields throughout the country, mainly in the lowlands. It is usually encountered as a solitary bird and feeds on frogs, water snakes, fish, and water birds such as teals and waterhens, as well as small mammals and insects including grasshoppers. It hunts with a slow, sailing flight close to the ground. Like other harriers, it often perches on the ground and probably roosts there at night, though it also frequently perches in trees.  The Western Marsh Harrier breeds in Europe and Asia, north of the Himalayas.

Blue Rock-Thrush (philippensis)/නිල් වල් අවිච්චියා/නිල් ගල්සැරියා (Monticola solitarius philippensis)

The Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius pandoo) is a rather rare but regular migrant, occurring locally on large rock outcrops, boulders, and scattered small rocks in open areas of mountain slopes in the dry lowlands and hills. During its stay in Sri Lanka, it is mostly encountered as a solitary bird and feeds on small insects on the ground. It breeds in the hills of Afghanistan, Baluchistan, and the Himalayas.

The bird featured in this post belongs to the subspecies philippensis, recorded for the first time in Sri Lanka at the Inginiyagala Reservoir Dam site during the 2025–2026 migratory season. This subspecies breeds in eastern Mongolia, northeastern China, Korea, Japan, coastal Taiwan, and the northern Philippines.