Sociable Glider (Tramea limbata)

Common dragonfly found in marshes, tanks, ponds etc. in both wet and dry zone lowlands. 

Baya Weaver/රුක් වඩු කුරුල්ලා[Ruk Wadu Kurulla] (Ploceus philippinus)

Common resident bird in the reed beds, paddy fields and marshy areas of the dry lowlands while local and uncommon in wet lowlands. It lives as large flocks. Baya weaver feeds on cultivated grains such as rice, Kurakkan, etc. and varies others seeds. It also takes insects to some extent. It breeds throughout the year in colonies. Male bird builds long pendulous nest usually overhanging the water.  Number of nests usually builds in a single tree where female bird lays 2-4 white eggs. 

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මූකලන් කොට්ටෝරුවා[Mookalan Kottoruwa]/Yellow-fronted Barbet (Megalaima rubricapillus)

Locally common endemic bird of forests and well wooded gardens from wet lowlands to mid hills.  Also occurs but scarce in eastern foothills and higher hills. Yellow-fronted Barbet feeds mainly on fruits. The breeding season is from February to May and again from August to September though occasional nests sometimes found at other months of the year.  It lays two or three white eggs in a hole of a soft-wooded dead stem or branch of a tree pecked out by birds themselves.

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Grass Jewel (Freyeria trochilus)

Grass Jewel is one of the smallest butterfly of the island common in grasslands and open areas in lowlands up to about 300 m. Its larva feeds on  Indigofera linnaei (බිං අවරි), Indigofera oblongifolia, Indigofera tinctoria (නිල් අවරි) and probably on Indigofera colutea.

  

ගම් කපුටා/කලු කපුටා [Kalu Kaputa/Gam Kaputa]/Jungle Crow/Large-billed Crow (Corvus levaillantii)

Very common resident bird throughout the country while relatively uncommon in urban areas where House crow is abundant. It usually encounters as pairs or sometime as small flocks. Unlike House crow, Jungle crow is less dependent on man and sometime found in jungle areas remote from human habitations. Its food consists of both animal and vegetables subtances and also scavenges on carrions and human wastes. It place its nest which is a heap of twigs in a tall tree during April to September and lays 3-4 eggs.  

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Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa dauurica)

Very common winter migrant to gardens, plantations and open wooded areas from lowlands to mid hills. It is frequent in shaded locations with trees. Sometimes even in densely populated cities as long as such habitats available.  Asian Brown Flycatcher is superficially similar to another migrant Brown-breasted Flycatcher but can be easily distinguished by the dark grey color legs of this while it is flesh-color of the latter. While in Sri Lanka it is mostly solitary bird and can be seen usually darting after small flying insects from a twig of a tree and often return back to the same perch or to a neighboring one with the captured prey on its bill, since it is very attached to its territory . 

Mottled Emigrant/African Emigrant (Catopsilia pyranthe minna)

Common butterfly found in gardens and open areas, especially in lowlands and up to about 500m. It is a migratory species and during the migratory season (North East Monsoon period) it can be seen in all elevations of the island usually as swarms. It often use to settles on the underside of leaves so that it is difficult to distinguished it from the foliage. Also sometimes settles in swarms on damp earth to absorb minerals. It is now generally accepted that former African Emigrant (Catopsilia florella) is conspecific with C. pyranthe. Its larval host plants are  Senna sophera, Cassia fistula (ඇහැළ/Indian Laburnum/

Shower of Gold), Cassia roxburghii (රතු වා/Ceylon cassia/Red cassia), Senna alata (රට තෝර/Candle bush/Candle stick/Rinworm shrub), Senna auriculata (රණවරා/Matara Tea/Tanner's Cassia)

Senna didymobotrya (රට තෝර), Senna hirsuta (Stinking Cassia), Senna occidentalis (පැණි තෝර/Coffee Senna/Coffee Weed), Senna surattensis (Scrambled-egg-tree), and Senna tora (පෙති තෝර/Pot Cassia/Sickle Senna)

වලිකුකුලා[Wali-Kukula]/Sri Lanka Junglefowl (Gallus lafayetii)

Fairly common endemic bird found in forests and dense scrubs from low lands to higher hills. Junglefowl keeps in pairs or small groups mainly inhabiting on ground and flying up to a tree when threatened. It roosts high in trees during night solitarily or in small groups. It’s food mainly consist of grain,  berries, leaves and buds as well as small insects such as grasshoppers, termites etc. Junglefowl 's  main breeding season is from December to April and probably again from August to September. The nest is a scrape in ground beneath a tree, beside a dead log or on a pile of vegetation.

දුම්මැල්ල/කුනුමැල්ල/පතෝල[Dum-mella/Kunu-mella/Pathola]/Snake Gourd (Trichosanthes cucumerina)

Common indigenous climbing herb grows in low country, mainly in dry zone. Trichosanthes anguina (Snake Gourd/Pathola) - cited as synonymy of T. cucumerina -  is a common cultivated vegetable with much larger fruits. 

Pale-billed Flowerpecker/පිළිලිච්චා/ලාතුඩු පිළිලිච්චා [Pililichcha/Latudu Pililichcha] (Dicaeum erythrorhynchos)

Very common breeding resident found all over the Sri Lanka. Pale-billed Flowerpecker is the smallest bird of the island which frequents the canopy of tall trees and gardens, feeding on juicy fruits of many kinds while parasitic Loranthus species (Pilila) being its favorites  This bird helps to spread sticky seeds of Loranthus  by adhering them to the branches of trees. Beside fruits it also eats many small insects and spiders. The breeding season lasts from January to August and it build a nest – a small bag of cotton and fibers slung from a twig high up in a tree- placed among large leaves where it lays two white eggs. 

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Mussaenda erythrophylla

Mussaenda erythrophylla is an erect shrub introduced as an ornamental plant and widely cultivated in home gardens. It is said to have originated in the Congo. Its pinkish sepals are more prominent than small yellow flowers (insert)

Barred Buttonquail (Turnix suscitator)

Common breeding resident in grasslands, scrublands and paddy fields in low country dry zone. Usually seen as pairs or solitary birds. Also not uncommon in suitable habitats in wet zone and hills like in tea plantation. It feeds on seeds, termites etc. picking up from the ground usually in the morning and evening. In this bird, the normal role of the sexes is reversed and female courts males uttering long purring call and she also practices polyandry. Having laid 2 to 4 eggs in a nest compose of dry grass, rootlets etc. in a hollow at the base of a small shrub, she leaves while her mate incubate them and bring up the chicks. The breeding season last for most of the year but most likely months are January to March and again July to August of the year. 

Brazil pusley/Mexican clover (Richardia brasiliensis)

Perennial prostrate herb native to Brazil, introduced and now very common weed along roadsides and in plantations and gardens from lowlands to the hills. It can be easily distinguished from all other similar small white flower plants by its 6 lobes corolla, since all other small white flowers in Sri Lanka have 4 or 5 corolla lobes. 

Commander (Moduza procris)

Common butterfly flies from lowlands to about 1500m. However it is much common in the hills from 500m to 1200m especially near rivers and streams in wooded areas and on jungle paths. Commander takes part in migrations and it is extremely swift in plight. It occasionally settles on wet patches on the road to absorb minerals. Its larva feeds on Mussaenda samana, Mitragyna tubulosa, Mitragyna parvifolia (හැළඹ), Mussaenda frondosa (මුස්සැන්ද/වෙල්-බුත්සරණ), Timonius flavescens, Uncaria elliptica, and Wendlandia bicuspidata (රාවන් ඉදල/වන ඉදල/රත් වැනිදල). Apart from that egg laying only was also observed on Gaertnera vaginans (පේර තඹල).

Firecracker flower (Crossandra infundibuliformis)

An indigenous common herb found in the shade of shrubs close to watercourses from lowlands to mid hills. Also planted in home gardens as an ornamental plant. Flowering throughout the year.

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)

A common breeding resident of dry lowland marshes, lagoons, tanks, mangroves and estuaries. Rare in wet lowlands and hills. It feeds on fish usually as solitary birds but at times as large flocks when fish density is high in an area. Grey Heron is more active during dawn and dusk. Its breeding season lasts from December to April and builds a nest – a large mass of sticks – placed among the branches of a tree growing in shallow water usually with other water birds known as heronries.

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Dopatrium nudicaule

 An indigenous herb grows among short grasses in wet places in the lowlands and wet hills up to about 500 m. Common on wet rocky surfaces and sometime also found in paddy fields. Flowering from November to July.

Peacock Royal (Tajuria cippus)

Common butterfly found from lowlands to about 1000 m above sea level throughout the year, but more visible in the center and north of the island. Its larva feeds on Dendrophthoe falcata, Dendrophthoe ligulata, Taxillus cuneatus and Scurrula cordifolia of the family Loranthaceae.

Pink Skimmer (Orthetrum pruinosum neglectum)

Very common dragonfly found in weedy tanks, marsh lands, paddy fields and streams from lowlands to the hills. 

රතු දෙමලිච්චා[Rathu Demalichcha]/Orange-billed babbler ( Turdoides rufescens)

Orange-billed babbler is a locally common endemic bird found in wet lowland and adjoining hill country forest areas. It lives as flocks of 7-10 individuals or more and also a regular species in ‘mixed feeding flocks’. It feeds on insects and also jungle berries, fluttering from tree to tree in lower foliage of trees and understorey of the forest. Little information available on its nesting habitats and breeding season is said to be from January to May and grass cup nest well hidden among creepers or bush and deep greenish eggs resembles Orange-billed babbler’s nest and eggs and difficult to distinguished.

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