Wall’s Grappletail (Heliogomphus walli)

Wall’s Grappletail is a rare endemic dragonfly inhabiting fast flowing forested streams. Earlier records only exist from Morningside estate of Rakvana, Balangoda and Nalanda (de Fonseka T., 2000). 

Garganey (Anas querquedula)

Garganey is probably the most abundant of our migratory ducks.  It is very common winter visitor as large flocks to the coastal lagoons, large tanks and marshes of dry lowlands. Small flocks can be found rarely in inland tanks and wet lowlands.  It is highly gregarious bird and often associating with other migratory ducks such as Northern Pintail, Common Teal and Northern Shoveler. It feeds on grain such as rice and also insects, crustaceans and mollusks, mostly during the night.  During the day time it spends far from the shore floating in a close flock (Henry G.M. 1998).  However diurnal feeding sometime up-ending in lagoons and large water bodies can be observed nowadays probably due to lack of ‘Duck shooting’ as it prevailed during Henry’s time.  

Brook Hooktail (Paragomphus henryi)

Locally common dragonfly inhabiting fast flowing streams and rivers in submontane areas according to the de Fonseka (de Fonseka T., 2000) and hills and mountain regions as per bedjanic, M.,  et.al., 2007. However F.C. Fraser in 1933 noted that it is the commonest Gomphine in the island found in everywhere at all elevations (Fraser F.C. 1933). Probably what he meant is in suitable habitats as he elaborated further that it is a jungle insect usually found sunning itself on rocks in mid streams. With the recent distribution data of Brook Hooktail in the island M. Bedjanic concluded that P. henryi is not so common anymore, being known from around 70 localities concentrated in central and southwestern part of Sri Lanka (Bedjanic M., 2013) Above picture was taken at lowland rain forest stream of southwestern Sri Lanka (Indikada Mookalana – A heavily degraded secondary forest) with about 40m height above sea level (6°54.072'N, 80°09.724'E). Males Brook Hooktail can be easily distinguished from all others of the family by having long hook like down-curved anal appendages (insert). Female lack that expansion.

Fraser F.C. 1933 The Gomphines of Ceylon (Order Odnata), F.C. Fraser, Ceylon Journal of Science (B) Vol. XVIII, Pt 1 December 22, 1933 page 33 

bedjanic, M.,  K. Conniff & G. |de Silva Wijeyeratne, 2007, Gehan's photo guide: Dragonflies of Sri Lanka. Jetwing Eco Holidays, Colombo 248p.

de Fonseka, T. (2000). The dragonflies of Sri Lanka. Wildlife Heritage Trust: Colombo. 304 p. 

bedjanic, M. 2013 Paragomphus Campestris Spec.Nov., A New endemic dragonfly from Sri Lanka (Ansoptera:Gomphidae) Odonatologica 42(1): 45-53 March 1, 2013 (http://www.rufford.org/files/Odonatologica%2042(1)%2045-53%20March%201,%202013.pdf)

Stork-billed Kingfisher/Manathudu Maha-pilihuduwa/Maha Pilihuduwa(Pelargopsis capensis capensis)

Stork-billed Kingfisher is the largest of the Kingfisher family in Sri Lanka. It is an uncommon breeding resident in rivers, streams tanks, marshes, paddy fields, and lagoons - usually adjoining wooded areas- from lowlands to lower hills. It is more common in dry zone. Stork-billed Kingfisher lives as pairs or solitary birds.  It mainly feeds on fish, frogs, crabs and other small animals. The breeding season is from January to May and probably again from August to September. The nest is a well concealed hole on the banks of rivers or tank-bunds.

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Angled Pierrot (Caleta decidia)

Angled Pierrot is an uncommon butterfly more partial to the jungle habitats of wet lowlands up to mid hills. De’ Abrera noted that Angled Pierrot is neither a ‘mud-puddler- nor a creature of open countryside (de’Abrera B., 1998). However mud-puddling individuals are not uncommon and also it inhabits open areas but always close to the jungles such as jungle foot paths (Above picture was also taken at such a habitat and it was mud puddling on a muddy foot path though it has flew away and settled on a near by shrub where picture was taken). It is frequent in jungle clearings and in shady streams (Banks J&J, 1999). It is a swift  flying insect which takes part in migrations.  The larva feeds on Maha-Eraminiya plants (Ziziphus rugosa) and Gouania microcarpa.

Crimson-fronted Barbet/ශ්‍රී ලංකා කොට්ටෝරුවා/හීන් කොට්ටෝරුවා [Sri Lanka Kottoruvwa/ Heen Kottoruwa] (Psilopogon rubricapillus)

Common endemic bird found in forests, open wooded areas, gardens and cultivation from wet lowlands to mid hills, and locale in the dry zone.  As all other barbets it is a fruit eater and out of the breeding season forms scattered flocks especially in the neighborhood of fruiting trees such as Bo, Nuga, etc. Otherwise it is mostly encounters as solitary birds or as pairs. The breeding season is from January to June and it lays 2-3 white eggs in a tree hole dug into the lower surface of a sloping branch rather than into an upright post. 

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Mosaic plant (Ludwigia sedoides)

Mosaic plant is a very recent addition to the flora of Sri Lanka. It is a native plant of tropical central and South America. It was introduced as an ornamental plant and now naturalized in some Sri Lankan wetlands. It was originally recorded from Southwest Sri Lanka (De Vlas J. & J. 2008) and spreading. Above picture was taken at Pahuru Ela marsh of Kelani basin close to the Malvana town.

Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark (Eremopterix griseus)

Locally common breeding resident in dry lowlands, especially in coastal areas. Occasionally visit wet zone and hills.  It inhabits arid open country, dry paddy fields and grasslands where it can be seen as pairs or - if it is outside the breeding season - as smaller to larger flocks. Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark mainly feeds on small seeds. It also takes insects and young are largely fed on them. It is a strict ground dweller and never perches on trees. The breeding season is from March to July. The nest a small hole dug on open ground lined with grass sometime with decorated environs with small stones, lumps of clay etc. 

Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark female is very much like to Female House Sparrow but grayer.

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Amazon Lily (Urceolina × grandiflora [Syn: Eucharis grandiflora])

Native to Andes of Columbia and Peru. Cultivated in low and mid country home gardens as an ornamental plant. Flowering from March to May.

Flying Fox/Maa wawula (Pteropus giganteus)

Flying Fox or Maa Wawula in Sinhala is the largest bat in Sri Lanka with about 1.2m wingspan. It is distributed throughout the island excluding higher hills though it is a visitor to the higher hills during fruiting seasons. However  W.W.A Phillips noted that it appears to be absent, during the greater part of the year, from the Hambantota district (Phillips, 1980). Flying fox is a nocturnal mammal and has excellent night vision though it doesn't have echolocation like some other bats. During the day time it roosts communally in tall trees. Such a colony - usually located close to human habitations- may comprises hundreds or may be thousands of individuals. Flying fox exclusively feeds on soft pulp and juice of flowers and fruits (Excluding all citrus fruits) after solids are discarded having chewed the flesh. It covers immense distance in a night in foraging, ranging from 2 to 20kms. Often before feeding, it is said that they visit a river or lake to quench thirst, lapping up water as they glide over the surface (Phillips, 1980). Even though it is treated as a pest it also an invaluable pollinator of most fruit plants.

Scarlet firespike (Odontonema tubaeforme)

Native plant of South America. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in Sri Lankan home gardens and parks. 

Darter/Snake-Bird (Anhinga melanogaster)

An uncommon breeding resident of tanks, lagoons and large river habitats of dry lowlands. Rare in wet lowlands and hills. When swimming on the water surface it swims with only the head and neck exposed and hence its vernacular name snake-bird. It feed on fish and catches them with its needle-sharped bill while swimming under water. Darter often associates with other cormorants when feeding though solitary birds are not uncommon. It is expert diver as well as a powerful flier. It keeps neck fully extended during the flight. The breeding season is from December to March and it breeds in colonies often with other water birds, building a nest in trees near water.

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Black Kite (Milvus migrans)

An uncommon breeding resident in the northernmost part of the country supplemented with winter visitors to the same area during migrate season. Occasionally found in other areas of the island. It is mostly restricted to the coastal areas, especially to the coastal cities where it inhabits as small groups or solitary individuals. Black Kite is a scavenger and living mainly on scraps of food-refuse cast out from human habitations. It breeds from December to April and build a nest - an untidy mass of sticks – in the canopy of a tree or at the base of coconut frond. 

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Little Tern/පුංචි මුහුදුළිහිණියා[Punchi Muhudhulihiniya] (Sternula albifrons)

A common breeding resident of coastal wet lands and inland tanks mainly of dry zone and visitor to the wet zone. It is the smallest of the terns inhabiting Sri Lanka. Little Tern mainly lives on fish and prawns. It is   probably some aquatic insects are also taken. It usually encounters as solitary birds though sometime widely scattered flocks are fishing in the same area. Little tern breeds in small colonies on  beaches, dry mud-flats and tank edges etc. from May to August. The 2-3 eggs are laid in a shallow scrape on open ground.

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Little Stint/පුංචි සිලිවටුවා/පුංචි හින්නා[Punchi Siliwatuwa/Punchi Hinna] (Calidris minuta)

Little stint is a very common winter visitor to the coastal areas, lagoons, mud-flats, tank edges and salt pans mainly of the dry zone. Rare in wet zone. It lives in smaller to large flocks. When feeding at the water edges it runs actively on the mud, bill pointing downward and picking small aquatic animals time to time.

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Pallied Harrier (Circus macrourus)

An uncommon winter visitor to the marshes, paddy fields, Patana lands and open areas throughout the island. However It is more frequent in dry lowlands.  It is also an occasional loiter of the island and according to the Henry probably the commonest harrier that visit Sri Lanka which arrives August to November and spread all over the island, hills and low country alike (Henry G.M., 1988). Its food consists of lizards  grasshoppers  frogs and small birds etc. Above picture is of a juvenile bird and adult males have pale grey upper parts and females are brownish.

Black-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus)

Common winter migrant to marshes, lagoons, paddy fields, tanks and salt-pans of dry lowlands. Rare in wet lowlands. It keeps singly or in small to large flocks often in association with Whiskered Terns to which it closely resemble and difficult to distinguished in non-breeding plumage though former is slightly smaller that latter. In breeding plumage Black-winged Tern become black head, body and under wing-coverts (Picture – spring moult). 

Great Egret/සුදු මහ කොකා/මහ සුදු කොකා[Sudu Maha Koka/Maha Sudu Koka] (Casmerodius alba)

Great Egret is a common breeding resident of dry lowlands and uncommon bird in wet zone while occasional visitor to the hills. It inhabits paddy fields, tanks, rivers, lagoons and mangroves mostly as solitary birds or few individuals sometime associates with other egrets. It feeds on fish, prawns, and other such aquatic animals as well as ground insects like grasshoppers. The breeding season is from December to May and it builds a nest – a shallow platform of sticks- placed in a tree by water, usually in company with other herons, egrets, cormorants etc. Breeding birds have black bills and bright bluish green lore and in non-breeding plumage bill yellow and lore dull pale green.

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Amber-winged Glider (Hydrobasileus croceus)

A very rare dragonfly recorded only once in Sri Lanka from the Kandy according to the Terrence de Fonseka (de Fonseka T., 2000). However 2012 National red list listed it under Near Threatened category probably due to records of more occurrences of it in the island than previously thought. Both sexes are similar and it can be easily identified by the amber color patch on the hind-wing. It is said that it breeds on weedy tanks and where males can be found waiting for females( de Fonseka T., 2000 quoting Fraser ). I have encountered two specimens on 16th February 2013 close to the Kalu River at Dombagaskandha forest reserve in Ingiriya. First one was flying about 2-3 m above the ground (Time - Around 1PM) close to a tributary of Kalu River. Second one was resting on a road side shrub during the evening (Time - Around 4 PM). 

Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)

An uncommon breeding resident of lagoons, tanks and marshes in low country dry zone.  It usually lives as small flocks and feeds communally in shallow water on small aquatic animals such as tadpoles, dragonfly larva, etc and also some vegetable matters. It is more active at dusk and during the day time it spends resting either on an islet in a marsh or perch on a branch of a tree. The breeding season is from December to March and it nests in colonies in association with other large herons and egrets, on top of bushes or on a low branch of a tree near water in a lagoon or swamp. The nest is a pile of sticks where it lays 2-5 eggs. 

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