Tiny Grass Blue (Zizula hylax hylax)

Rather rare butterfly found in lowlands to about 1000m elevations. Larva feeds on various plants of family Acanthaceae  such as Hygrophila heinei , Phaulopsis dorsiflora, Ruellia patula, Ruellia prostrata (නිල් පුරුක්), Ruellia tuberosa (නිල් පුරුක්/Wayside tuberose/Minnieroot), Strobilanthes cordifolia (බූ නෙළු) and Hygrophila auriculata (ක‍ටු ඉකිරි/නීරමුල්ලිය) Sometimes larvae are attended by ants.

කීර තන්ඩු පිල්ලු[Keera-thandu-pillu]/Thickhead (Crassocephalum crepidioides)

 Widespread introduced weed of roadsides, waste lands and scrub-lands throughout the island. It is a native plant of tropical Africa. 

Common Leopard (Phalanta phalantha)

Common butterfly occurs in open areas close to the jungles, and scrub lands from sea level to about 6000ft a.s.l. Common leopard is a migratory species and sometime it swarms on wet patches on the roads in the low country dry zone. Larva feeds on Dovyalis hebecarpa (Ceylon gooseberry/කැට ඇඹිල්ල), Flacourtia indica (උගුරැස්ස),  Hydnocarpus venenata, Flacourtia jangomas (රට උගුරැස්ස), Scolopia acuminata, Flacourtia inermis (Livi-lovi) and Scolopia pusilla (කටු කෑර/කටු කුරුඳු/කටු කෙන්ද)

Zitting Cisticola/Fantail warbler/Streaked Fantail warbler/Hambu kurulla[S] (Cisticola juncidis)

Common resident bird in tall grasslands, marsh lands, tank edges and paddy fields throughout the island from sea coast to higher hills like Horton plains national park. It feeds manly on insects like grasshoppers. Breeding season last from March to April and July to September. It build  a nest a cylindrical pocket with a small circular opening at the top well hidden among middle of a tussock of grass and lays three or four pinkish white eggs.

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Metallic Cerulean (Jamides alecto meilichius)

Common in all elevations of the island in all the year round. But rare in the North. It is considered as a pest of Cardamom plantations since its larva feeds on fruits and flowers of Cardamom or එනසාල් (Elettaria cardamomum) of the family Zingiberaceae. Meistera benthamiana, Zingiber officinale (ඉඟුරු/Ginger), Alpinia calcarata (කලා කීරිය/කටු කීරිය/Indian Ginger/Snap-Ginger), Alpinia galanga, Alpinia purpurata (Red ginger), Alpinia zerumbet, Meistera fulviceps, Meistera trichostachya, Hedychium flavescens (Yellow Ginger Lily), Zingiber cylindricum, Zingiber wightianum and Zingiber zerumbet (වල් - ඉඟුරු/Wild Ginger) of the same Zingiberaceae.family are also identified so far as its larval host plants in Sri Lanka.

Hibiscus lobatus

An indigenous herb common along roadsides and waste lands of the low country. 

Glassy Tiger(Parantica aglea)

Common at all elevations of the southern part of the country in all the year round while much plentiful during Northeast monsoon period. Scarce in the northern parts of the island. According to the D’Abrera it  is a slow and low flying insect not rising more than 5 or 6 feet above the ground usually, and then only when the temperature is not too hot (The Butterflies of Ceylon - D'abrera 1998) Larva feeds on Ceropegia candelabrum, Heterostemma tanjorensis, Vincetoxicum indicum, Vincetoxicum flexuosum, Vincetoxicum iphisia and Vincetoxicum bracteatum.

 

Kalukichcha/Indian Robin/Black-backed Robin (Saxicoloides fulicatus)

Common breeding resident of drier open areas of the dry zone while rare and local in the wet zone up to mid hills. It prefers gardens, cultivation and scrub lands and avoids heavy forest areas. Indian Robin lives as pairs and feeds actively on ground in searching insects.  The breeding season is from March to September and it builds its nest in a hole of a bank, tree-trunk or sometime in a cavity in a building where it lays 2-3 eggs. 

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Common Gull (Cepora nerissa evagete)

Common in low country drier parts throughout the year but can be seen all over the island including higher hills during the migration period. Sometimes it may be seen settled in hundreds on mud or wet sand to absorb minerals.  Its larva feeds on varies Capparis species such as Capparis zeylanica, Capparis sepiaria, Capparis tenera, Capparis brevispina, Capparis grandis, Capparis moonii, Capparis roxburghii, and Crateva adansonii (ලුණුවරණ ) of the family Capparaceae 

Shower-of-gold vine (Tristellateia australasiae)

Native woody climber of South- East Asia and Australia. Introduced and cultivated in Sri Lankan home gardens as an ornamental plant. 

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.