Brown-headed Gull (Larus brunnicephalus)

Brown-headed Gull is probably the most common gull of the island, which is abundant in northern coastal and lagoon areas during winter and rarely found in other coastal areas such as South-eastern part of the country. There are some summer loiters as well. It is gregarious and flocks can be seen resting on the water close to beach. It scavenges in harbours and also follows ships for ‘easy food’ thrown overboard from them.  Brown-headed gull can be easily distinguished from other gulls by dark-tipped red bill and black wing tips with two white spots near the edge visible when  flight. Brown hood appears of  breeding birds by the end of March.

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Black Headed Ibis/සුදු දෑතුඩුවා/හිසකළු දෑකැත්තා[Sudu dhatuduwa/Hisa kalu dhakaththa] (Threskiornis melanocephalus)

Common breeding resident of low country dry zone marshes, tanks, paddy fields and lagoons. However there are considerable number of breeding birds in wet zone especially wetlands around Colombo, said to be originated from a colony at the Dehiwela zoo. Its food consists of frogs, insects, crabs, worms, etc. It is partially nocturnal and flocks forming V formation can be seen flying to distance feeding grounds at dusk from their day time roosting places.  It breeds during early part of the year colonially with other species of herons, egrets etc on a nest made out of piles of sticks in trees in flooded water.

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කරවැල් කොකා[Karawal Koka]/Purple Heron(Ardea purpurea )

Purple Heron is a common resident bird of low country, both dry and wet zones. It feeds on fish, frogs and even insects on marshes, paddy fields, mangroves, lagoons and tanks by day, while most active at dawn and dusk.  Usually feed solitary by skulking among reeds. It breeds from December to February and again in May to June. Three or fours eggs lay in a nest which is just a pile of sticks placed on low trees growing in flooded water, often in company with other herons, egrets and cormorants.

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Sanderling (Calidris alba)

Uncommon winter visitor to North-Western and south-eastern coastal areas during migrate season and usually found in flocks during its stay here till end of winter in Northern half of the world.  It breeds in tundras in the far North. Its usual habitats are sandy beaches where it follows the waves as they advance and recede, while picking up small invertebrates exposing to view at each ebb.

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Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)

This common winter visitor arrives in the island from northern lands of Artic circle and occupies coastal areas, lagoons and estuaries mainly of the dry zone. Turnstone got that interesting name due to its habit of flipping over seaweeds, pebbles and shells in search of its prey which mostly consist of small invertebrates hide beneath them. 

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Barn Swallow/Atu Wahilihiniya (Hirunda rustica)

Barn swallow is a very common winter visitor of all zones of the island, arriving at the beginning of the North-East monsoons and stay till end of April.  It has a very fast flight and much of its time while in Sri Lanka spends on the wing capturing small flying insects. They are very gregarious and often found as flocks of 10-30 or more birds perching on telegraph wires. There is a famous night time ‘roosting street’ in Rathnapra town of this bird consisting of thousands of birds during migration season.  

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කන කොකා [Kana Koka]/Indian Pond Heron ( Ardeola grayii)

Very common bird usually found in paddy fields throughout the island. It also lives close to tanks, lagoons and marshlands. Eventhough it is solitary in habit during day time feedings , flocks can be seen flying to its night time communal roosting trees at dusk. Breeding season is from December to May and nests can be observed in regular heronries sometime with other species of herons, cormorants.

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Black-crowned night heron/ රෑ කොකා/රෑ කණ කොකා [Raa Koka/Raa Kana Koka] (Nycticorax nycticorax)

Common resident bird of marshes, mangroves, rivers, tanks and lagoons of low country both wet and dry zone and foot hills.  Nocturnal in habit and spending the day time roosting communally in trees.  Its food consists mainly of fish, frogs and some water insects.

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Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala)

Coppersmith Barbet is a very common bird of forests and gardens of low country dry zone and lower hills. However occasional sightings of it in some wet zone areas are recorded and scattered colonies are reported from places like Kandy and Avissawella (A Guide to the bird of Sri Lanka – G.M. Henry 3^rd Edition).  It has a very unique note a slow wonk, wonk, wonk….like a hammer on a copper pan. Hence the name Coppersmith barbet. Its breeding season is from November to May and again from July to Sepetember. Lay 2-3 dull white eggs in a hole cut in a dead branch of a tree or an upright post.  It keeps solitary or in pairs and parties of few birds. Food mainly consist of berries and occasionally insects like moths and plying termites. 

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Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Common Sandpiper is a common winter visitor to Sri Lanka from Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, arrives in August to September in large numbers and departs in April and May.  During that season it can be found almost everywhere of country where rock and water exist together.  It is usually encountered as a solitary bird or a flock of scattered few feeding on tiny mollusks, insects and crustaceans while bobbing is tail up and down continually.

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Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida)

Very common migrant and summer loiter to low country coastal areas. But sometimes ascend up to lower hills. During migrate season most low country tanks, paddy fields and such marshy areas abound with this tern. It flies low over water bodies, bill pointed downward in search of its food which consist mainly of aquatic insects, small fish and tadpoles and when tired rest on near by paddy field bund, fence posts or like places. 

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Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

Whimbrel is an uncommon migrant bird to low country, especially to dry zone coastal areas. It arrives in Sri Lanka in September - October and return back in April to North Europe and western Asia for breeding. Marshes, mudflats and lagoons are its favorite habitats in its stay in Sri Lanka during winter months of Northern hemisphere. In such places it feed mainly on crabs, mollusks and worms, usually singly or sometimes as small parties of 4 -5 birds. 

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Pied Kingfisher/ගෝමර පිළිහුඩුවා[Gomara pilihuduwa] (Ceryle rudis)

Pied kingfisher is a resident bird usually found in marshes, lagoons, mangroves, slow flowing rivers and tanks of low country. It is common in coastal areas.  It feeds mainly on fish and other aquatic animals catch by hovering over the water surface and suddenly plunging into prey and emerge with it a moment later. It lives in pairs and breeds during March – May in a burrow dig into the bank of a river. 

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මයිනා [Myna]/Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)

Very common breeding resident of all zones up to 1700m. It lives in gardens, cultivations, and grass lands but not in dense forests, usually associated with cattle and buffalos and feed on ticks which infest on them and insects mainly grasshoppers which are disturbed by their feet while they graze. Hence the name Gon Kawadiya use by Sinhalese people for this bird. It appears to pair for life. But sometime flocks with considerable numbers are formed in out of breeding season. Also roost in night in thousands at a selected place usually few trees sometime in city centers or patches of shrub in marsh land. Breeding season start in March and last till August or September. A nest is a hole in a tree with mass of sticks, straws and feathers.

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Oriental White-Eye/හීන් මල්කුරුල්ලා/පෙරදිගු සිතැසියා [Heen Malkurulla/Peradigu Sithasiya] (Zosterops palpebrosa)

Common resident bird of forests, well wooded gardens and cultivations of lowlands to hills about 1200m in wet zone and 1800m in the drier Uva hills. Keeps in pairs or small parties and arboreal in habitats, but descend to ground for bathing in usually small streams running through undergrowth of forests. Fly from tree to tree in search of its food which mainly consists of nectar, insects, caterpillars and berries. Breeding season is from April to May and probably again in September. Lay 2-3 pale blue eggs in a small cup shape nest slung between two twigs.

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පොළොස් කොට්ටෝරුවා[Polos Kottoruwa]/Brown-headed Barbet (Megalaima Zeylanica)

Very common breeding resident of all zones while becoming less common at higher hills. Much prefer to village gardens and open lands than dense forests. It lives in pairs or sometime in small loose feeding parties, usually keep in touch by means of its loud monotonous call. Its food consist mainly of varies kind of berries and fruits. It also feed on insects such as beetles taken by fly, since being an arboreal bird it never descending to the ground. The main breeding season is from February to July while secondary season may be possible in August to September. Nest, a hole in a soft-wooded dead stem or branch of a tree pecked out by birds themselves.

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කැහිබෙල්ලා/කන්කෑරැස්සා[Kahibella]/Blue Magpie (Urocissa ornate)

An endemic bird inhabits only primary forests and near by home gardens in wet zone and foot hills. Uncommon and declared as a vulnerable bird in IUCN red list of threatened fauna and flora of Sri Lanka (2007). However feeding flocks consisting of up to 6-10 birds are not uncommon in buffer zone villages of Peak Wilderness (Sri Pada sanctuary) and Sinharaja forest. Though gregarious, pairs or solitary individuals are sometimes met with. It feed on insects [grasshoppers, leaf insects, beetles, etc.], caterpillars, shrub frogs, lizards and also some plant matter such as fruits. It is very noisy bird especially while hoping from branch to branch at all levels of trees from ground to canopy in search of foods. It is referred by a very interesting name of Kankaarassa by villagers in some areas around peak wilderness (Udamaliboda, Dikelikanda..etc) due to its  loud crakrakrakrak  call. Breeding season is from January to March and usually nest builds at the top of slender trees in forest and sometime even in home gardens. Once I have found a nest with eggs about 4-5 m above ground in top of small tree growing near a stream in a village. Group of three birds used to visit that during my observation period (only 2 days). Nest is some what similar to crows nest

කිතලා[Kithala]Purple Swamphen/Purple coot(Porphyrio porphyrio)

Common resident bird of low country tanks, swamps and reed-beds of both wet and dry zones. Usually keeps in small parties of less than 10 birds and can be seen walking over floating vegetation or stalking through the reed beds. However bigger congregations are not uncommon. Though it can swim well does not often do so unless compelled.Flight is fast and also can make long flights. It keeps its feet extending beyond tail in flight. Feed mainly on vegetable matters and some insects. Nesting on heap of vegetation in reed-bed during the first half of the year while peak is from March to May. It is very noisy and quarrelsome especially during the breeding season and birds chasing one another are frequently occurred at that time. 

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කලපු කිරලා[Kalapu Kirala]/Black-winged Stilt(Himantopus Himantopus)

A resident bird of dry zone lowlands. It inhabits coastal mudflats, lagoons, marshes and inland tanks and also possible winter visitors to both wet and dry lowland water bodies. They breed from June to July usually as small colonies. Nesting is on the edge of a lagoon or tank or on a small islet. Nest is an usual depression in the ground sometimes lined with few rushes, water weeds or desiccated cow-pats. Food consists of mollusks, worms, aquatic insects and marsh plants. Usually feed as small scattered flocks and unite into a compact flock if disturbed. The long stilt-like legs enable it to reach food supplies normally out of reach for most other waders.

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Asian Openbill/විවරතුඩුවා/බෙල්ලන් කොකා [Vivaratuduwa/Bellan koka] (Anastomus oscitans)

Smallest stork of Sri Lanka with a    characteristic bill which has a gap between mandibles when it is closed. Common breeding resident of marshes, tanks, paddy fields and lagoons. Much common in dry zone low lands where it met with singly or in small parties and flocks. However it has been observed that recently open bill had expanded its distribution range to the wet zone specially wetlands around Colombo such as Muthurajawela, Bellanwila and paddy fields of Western province. Its food  consists mainly of mollusks. Also eat crabs, frogs, fish and other small animals found in its swampy habitats
Its peculiar bill is obviously an adaptation to facilitate extraction of soft body of mollusks from the hard shell. Regularly soar on thermal currents on sunny days and can be seen flocks circling up to great height in sky. It is recorded that this stork brings bivalve mollusks to ashore and eat soft parts when valves open due to hot sun. Breeding season is from December to March and nest in colonies sometime up to hundreds or more in top of low trees by water.

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