පිළිල/Pilila (Dendrophthoe falcata)

An indigenous common half-parasite growing on the branches of trees. Widespread throughout the country except higher montane zone and common in the dry zone. Flowering throughout the year. 

ගම්-පිල/කටු-පිල/Gam-Pila/Katu-Pila/Wild Indigo/Fishpoison (Tephrosia purpurea)

Common indigenous herb found along roadsides, waste lands and near seacoast in the low country. 

හීන් කරඹ/Heen-Karamba (Carissa spinarum)

A very common indigenous small shrub with spines on the node, distributed throughout the low country dry zone in jungles, roadsides, along forest edges and especially in disturbed vegetation. Flowering throughout the year. 

Blue Percher (Diplacodes trivialis)

A very common dragonfly of the lowlands up to mid hills. It inhabits rice fields, weedy tanks, streams beaches and footpaths, often far from the water unlike most other dragonflies. 

කටු පතොක්/Katu Pathok (Opuntia dillenii)

Native to the South America. Introduced as an ornamental plant and now naturalized common weed in sandy places of dry and arid zone especially in Bundala and Yala national parks.  Fruit edible.

Forget-me-not (Catochrysops strabo)

Common butterfly occurs all over the dry lowlands up to about 3500ft, especially in abandoned paddy fields and chena lands.  Its larva feeds on Cajanus cajan (රට තෝර/Dhal/Pigeon Pea/Chick Pea/Red Gram), Flemingia lineata, Phyllodium pulchellum, Rhynchosia cana, Tephrosia purpurea (ගම්-පිල/කටු-පිල/Wild Indigo/Fishpoison), Tephrosia villosa (බූ පිල/Hoarypea) and  Indigofera linnaei (බිං අවරි)

Asian Palm Swift (Cypsiurus balasiensis)

Common breeding resident in low country and lower hills especially where palm trees such as Palmyras or Talipots are available.  It keeps in flocks and spends its time flitting about in open areas in search for small flying insects. It breeds probably year round and the nest is a small cup of feathers and cotton, glued with its saliva under fan-palm leaf or occasionally the fronds of the Areca or Betetnut palm (Only if no fan-palm is available). 

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Cingalese Bushbrown (Mycalesis rama)

An endemic and rare butterfly occurs in forested areas with bamboo in the low country wet zone.  The larva is believed to be feed on Ochlandra stridula (Bamboo/බට).

Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus)

An uncommon breeding raptor in open areas, grasslands paddy fields and Patana lands in dry lowlands and hills.  Occasional visitor to the wet lowlands. It encounters mostly as solitary birds or in pairs. It has a habit of hovering frequently when hunting on grasshoppers, lizards, rats and young birds in open country.  The breeding season is from December to March and sometime again from July to October. The nest – untidy mass of sticks – is placed at top of a tree in fairly open area.  

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කොහා[Koha]/Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)

Common breeding resident in home gardens, cultivation and other wooded areas avoiding dense forests from lowlands to mid hills.  It feeds almost entirely on fruits including berries of some ornamental garden plants.  Mating call of male bird can be heard frequently during Sinhala new year season which happen to be start of its breeding season which last from April to August. It is a parasitic bird and  female bird lays eggs mainly on two species of crows (Jungle Crow and House Crow) and sometime of babblers nests.

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Oriental Skylark/කොණ්ඩ ගොමරිට්ටා/පෙරදිගු අහස්රිට්ටා[Konda Gomaritta/Peradigu Ahasritta] (Alauda gulgula)

Locally common breeding resident, inhabiting grasslands, dry paddy fields and open country mainly in dry zone lowlands. Visits wet zone and breeds rarely in the hills.  It lives on ground in pairs or as small flocks and never perching on trees but on low stumps, stone walls etc. It feeds on insects like grasshoppers and also seeds of grasses and weeds.  The small crest on fore crown, which normally down and erects when excited can be used to distinguished Oriental skylark from bit similar but stockier and browner Jerdon’s Bushlark.  The breeding season is from March to July and it lays 1-3 eggs in a nest made out of grass and fibers in a small hollow on ground usually under a small tuft of grass or shrub.

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Brown Hawk Owl (Ninox scutulata)

Common breeding resident distributed throughout the country in forests, cultivation and wooded areas of cities and villages while becoming uncommon in higher hills. Sights of Brown Hawk Owls sitting on lamp or telephone posts, TV antennas during nights are not uncommon in most urban and suburban areas with some trees even in and around Colombo. Brown Hawk Owl can be easily identified by its distinctive loud call which sounds like koo-ook, koo-ook heard especially on moonlit nights. It is a nocturnal bird and feeds on insects takes on the wing.  The breeding season is from March to April and again in November. It lays 2-3 eggs in a tree cavity.

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Common migrant and summer loiterer to lagoons, brackish lakes and salt-pans of Northern, Eastern and Southeastern coastal areas. Mainly occurring in Jaffna, Mannar and Bundala salterns usually as large flocks of several hundreds or sometimes in thousands.  Greater Flamingo mainly feeds on vegetable substances and small aquatic animals. Even though breeding of it has not been recorded from Sri Lanka nest mounds build up of mud were observed in Bundala national park several times.  The nearest breeding site from where Sri Lankan migrants probably come situated in the Rann of Kutch on the west coast between India and Pakistan. 

Common Lanka Skink (Lankascincus fallax)

Rather common skink widely distributed throughout the country from sea level to about 1050 m altitude in all climatic zones. It can be found among leaf litters or under logs and stones during the night and become active in the morning and evening. It is said that Common Lanka Skink forages in morning around 7.30 and in the evening around 5- 6 Pm on insects (Das, I. & De Silva, A., 2005). Throat color of male varies from blackish to reddish during the breeding season and always has some white spots on the throat. This skink can be easily distinguished from other member of the genus Lankascincus by having fused frontoparietals instead of distinct divided frontoparietals of others.

මොණරා [Monara]/Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)

Indian Peafowl is a common breeding resident of dry lowlands and some areas in the intermediate zone. It inhabits mainly open country, chena lands and scrub lands avoiding dense forests.  Its food consists of grains, leaves, grasshoppers, termites, and also small reptiles. Its usual feeding times are in the early morning and hour or so before sunset.  It roosts on trees during the night. Indian peafowl usually lives as small groups and spends their time mostly on ground walking great distances in search of food.  It flies mostly to cross an obstacle like rivers or to escape from sudden danger.  The breeding season is from December to May and male attains its long train during the mating season.  The peahen lays 3 to 5 eggs in a slight hollow on ground well hidden in dense shrubbery.

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Little Egret(Egretta garzetta)

Very common breeding resident found in swamps, paddy fields, lagoons, canals, tanks and mangroves from lowlands to lower hills while uncommon in higher hills. It feeds mainly on fish and other aquatic animals often associating with other egrets and herons. The breeding season is from December to May and it builds a nest –A platforms of sticks - in trees usually near water, colonially with other water birds.  

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Paddyfield Parasol (Neurothemis intermedia intermedia)

An uncommon dragonfly found in lowland forested areas, paddy fields, plantations and vicinity of tanks in the dry zone (bedjanic, M., K. Conniff & G. de Silva Wijeyeratne, 2007). Rare in the hills. 

Lesser Crested Tern (Thalasseus bengalensis)

Locally common winter visitor and occasional summer loiterer to lagoons, salt-pans, sand spits and estuaries of most coastal areas. It keeps in small to large flocks usually with other terns and gulls. Lesser Crested Tern feeds on fish, plunging from some height at espied fish while flying above the water surface, and the fish is swallowed on the wing. 

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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.