Great Black-headed Gull/Pallas’s Gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus)

 Common winter migrant to the lagoons, sand spits and tidal flats of Northern and North-western coastal areas.  Its food mainly consists of fish but also feeds on any small animal it can catch and also carrion. Though usually encounters as solitary birds during November to April period, sometimes large flocks of several hundreds resting on sand-spits or tidal flats can be observed. It breeds in Russia and Central Asia.

Pea Blue (Lampides boeticus)

Common butterfly in all over the island in all the year round. It is a migratory species and it varies greatly in size, dwarf forms being very common. This butterfly lays its eggs at the base of the flowers of certain plants of family Fabaceae and when the larva hatches it burrows into the flower and so into the pod, on the seeds of which it feeds until it reaches its next stage of the life cycle. It is considered as a pest due to larva feeding on some cash crops such as peas and beans. Crotalaria albida, Crotalaria beddomeana, Cajanus trinervius (ඇත් තෝර), Crotalaria incana, Crotalaria laburnifolia (යක්බේරිය/Rattle-box/Bird flower), Crotalaria micans (Caracas rattle box), Crotalaria pallida (Smooth rattle box), Crotalaria verrucosa (නිල් අඬණහිරිය/යක්බේරිය/Blue rattlesnake), Crotalaria trichotoma (West Indian rattlebox/Zanzibar rattlepod/Cusara pea), Mundulea sericea, Ulex europaeus (Gorse/Furze/Whin),  Cajanus cajan (රට තෝර/Dhal/Pigeon Pea/Chick Pea/Red Gram), Vigna radiata (මුං/මුං ඇට/බූ මෑ/Green gram/Jerusalem pea/Mung bean),  Vigna unguiculata (මෑ කරල්/ ලී මෑ/වඳුරු මෑ/Black-eye Bean/Cowpea),  Vigna mungo (බූ මෑ/මුං/උළුඳු/Black gram) and Pisum sativum are identified as its larval host plants in Sri Lanka.

දිය නිඳිකුම්ඹා[Diya-Nidikumba]/Water mimosa/Sensitive neptunia (Neptunia oleracea)

An aquatic herb with floating stems and sensitive leaves, found in tanks and ponds in the dry zone lowlands. Young ends of stems and pods are edible and sometimes eaten as a vegetable. Juice of the stem and roots are used for medicinal purposes.

Dancing Dropwing(Trithemis pallidinervis)

An uncommon dragonfly found in tanks, ponds and marshy areas of dry and wet zone lowlands.

ගැට තුඹ[Geta-tumba] (Leucas zeylanica)

Very common indigenous herb found along roadsides and waste lands of both low country wet and dry zones up to about 1700m elevation. Flowering throughout the year. Leaves edible and eaten as a vegetable. Leaf size variable.

Hill Swallow/කඳු වැහිළිහිණියා/හෙල් වැහිළිහිණියා[Kandu Wehilihiniya/Hel Wehilihiniya] (Hirundo domicola)

Hill swallow is a common breeding resident found in grass lands, plantations and open areas in villages and towns of the hill country while occasional visitor to the foot hills of the wet zone. Its food consist of small flying insects capturing on the wing, usually as small flocks of its own members or others of the family like red-rumped swallow, Barnswallow.etc.The breeding season is from February to May and again in September. It lays 2 or 3 eggs in a mud and straw cup nest, lined with feathers and bracketed on a wall, road-bank or earth-slip. 

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Pink-headed Knotweed (Persicaria capitata)

An indigenous creeping herb.  Flowering throughout the year and growing on the ground, rock surfaces and over walls in the montane areas. 

Banded Blue Pierrot (Discolampa ethion ethion)

Rather rare butterfly found in low country wet zone up to about 1500m a.s.l. elevation. It prefers wooded areas and often settles on a twig or leaf overhanging a jungle path and male a ‘mud-puddler’ settles in wet patches in jungle paths sometime in swarms. Its larva feeds on  Ziziphus oenopolia (හීන් එරමිණියා) and Ziziphus mauritiana (දෙබර/මහ දෙබර/මසන්/Indian jujube/Chinese apple)  of  the family Rhamnaceae .

මොණර මල්[Monara-Mal]/Peacock flower/Paradise flower (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)

Monara-Mal is a small tree, native to tropical America, which was introduced to Sri Lanka at an early time as an ornamental plant. Very common in home gardens and sometimes escaped and naturalized plants can be seen along roadsides and scrub lands

Marsh Skimmer (Orthetrum luzonicum)

Common in marshes and swampy areas from lowlands to the central hills while widely distributed in montane and submontane areas. 

Black-naped Monarch (Hypothymis azurea)

Common breeding resident in forests and adjoining well wooded home gardens of lowlands and hills up to 1700m a.s.l., while more frequent in the wet zone and riverine habitats of the dry zone. It feeds on flying insects in usual flycatcher habits and constantly travels about in the canopy solitary or in pairs. The breeding season is from March to May and, the nest a small deep cup placed in a fork of small sapling few feet from the ground to higher levels of the canopy. 

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Ceylon Lace Wing/Tamil Lace Wing (Cethosia nietner nietner)

Rather uncommon butterfly occurred all over the island throughout the year, while relatively abundant in mid country jungles. Its larva feeds on Adenia hondala [හොඬල/පොතු හොඬල] plants of family Passifloraceae. 

Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia)

Common Iora is a very common breeding resident distributed mainly in gardens, scrublands, and forest edges of low country and lower hills up to 1000m a.s.l. But it is much common in dry zone. Iora lives in pairs and feeds on insects, especially on caterpillars among leaves of trees. While feeding it keeps in touch with each others by frequently calling in variety of whistling sounds. Breeding season is mainly from April to June and the nest a little cup made out of fibers and cobwebs fastened to a twig of a tree where it lays 2 or 3 eggs.

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ලීනිය[Liniya]/Screw tree (Helicteres isora)

Liniya is rather common indigenous shrub or small tree found in scrub lands, secondary forest edges, roadsides, beach edges and also of primary forests of dry and intermediate zones of the island from sea level to about 225 m a.s.l. Timber use to manufacture oars and bark provides a strong fiber. Fruits and seeds are used by traditional medical practitioners to treat colic and ear ulcers respectively. 

White Four-Ring (Ypthima ceylonica)

White Four-Ring is a common butterfly found in all elevations of the island in all the year round, while less common in higher hills. Its larva feeds on පොටු තණකොළ (Axonopus compressus) and Cyrtococcum trigonum of the family Poaceae

ඕලු[Olu]/Water Lilly (Nymphaea pubescens)

Olu is a very common indigenous aquatic herb of ponds and tanks, particularly in the dry lowlands. Flowering throughout the year and color of the flowers vary from nearly white to red. The seeds are edible and also use in traditional medicine. 

Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis ceylonicus)

Little Green Bee-eater is a very common breeding resident of open areas, cultivations and open spaces of forests in dry lowlands.  Sometime perching birds on wires are not uncommon in suburban areas and it is occasional visitor to wet zone too.  It usually encounters as pairs and communal roosting during the night are observed in bushy trees. Like all other bee-eaters its main food consists of varies type of flying insects like beetles, bees, butterflies, dragonflies, etc. and it darts out to feed on them from its favorite perching wires or branches of a tree and often return to same place to swallow its catch. Little green Bee-eater breeds during April to August and lays 3-5 white color eggs in a nesting burrow which it dug into the side of a bank. 

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නිල් මානෙල්[Nil Manel]/Common water Lilly(Nymphaea nouchali)

An indigenous aquatic herb with floating leaves common in ponds and tanks of lowlands, particularly in dry zone and often cultivated in other areas. Flowering all the year round and flowers used for worshipping in Buddhist temples. 

Blue Tiger(Tirumala limniace leopardus)

Very common butterfly found in open scrub lands throughout the island though very common in lowlands below 1000ft a.s.l . Larva feeds on leaves of Dragia volubilis (අගුණ). It takes part in migration.  

නෙලුම්[Nelum]/Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)

An aquatic indigenous herb common in ponds and tanks, particularly in dry zone. Seeds and rhizomes are edible and flowers use as temple offering. Color of the flowers vary from white to pink. Flowering throughout the year.