Eriocaulon ceylanicum

An endemic perennial herb grows in swampy grasslands, ditches and stream margins of the higher hills from 2000 to 2400 m elevations. Flowering from October to May.

Cordia monoica

An indigenous tree known from dry lowland forests and open areas. 

ගොඩ කදුරු[Godakaduru]/Nux-Vomica(Strychnos nux-vomica)

An indigenous tree of dry zone secondary forests and scrub lands. Whole plant medicinal. 

Grewia bracteata

An indigenous shrub or small tree grows in lower montane forests of the intermediate zone.

දියමිත්ත[Diyamitta]/Velvet leaf(Cissampelos pareira)

Common native slender woody climber occurs throughout the island up to 1200 m a.s.l. Scrambling and twining over shrubs and in trees of forests. Roots, stem and leaves are used in medicine.

Male flower (Picture) Size = 3 mm 

දොඩම් පනා[Dodam Pana](Glycosmis pentaphylla)

An indigenous shrub or small tree  found in secondary thickets and forest borders of dry and intermediate zone up to about 1000 m a.s.l.

Justicia tranquebariensis

Common native herb or small undershrub grows in light shade among rocks or in sandy ground among short grass in the dry lowlands. Flowering from January to September.

වැල් කරල් හැබ[Wel karal Haba]/Forest Burr/Creeping Cock's Comb(Pupalia lappacea var. lappacea)

An indigenous herb occurs as two varieties in the island.

•  P, l, lappacea (Above Picture) - Grows open dry places along forest edges.
•  P. l. orbiculata  - Common in the sandy places behind the shoreline.

කෙකිළි මැස්ස/කුකුළු මැස්ස[Kekili Messa/Kukulu Messa](Miliusa indica)

Common indigenous shrub or small tree widespread from sea level to about 1000 m a.s.l. in both wet and dry zone forests. But confined to the secondary vegetation in the wet zone. 

රත පඹ/රට පඹ/බඹු[Ratha Pamba/Rata Pamba/Bambu](Ipomoea quamoclit)

An introduced vine native to the tropical America. Widely cultivated in gardens as an ornamental and also escaped and naturalized in thickets and other disturbed sites. 

බෝවිටියා/හීන් බෝවිටියා [Bowitiya, Heen Bowitiya](Osbeckia octandra)

An endemic much-branched shrub occurs in grasslands, open places and disturbed grounds along roadsides in both wet and dry lowlands and sometimes also in high elevations in the montane zone. Leaves and roots are used in medicine. 

Dendrolobium triangulare

An indigenous shrub grows in openings in dry and intermediate zone forests.

Utricularia graminifolia

Common native small herb found on wet rocks and other such wet places from 500 to 2400 m elevations. White stems of this plant with traps (Stolon), running in the moist underground can capture small aquatic animals. Sometime large leaves also have traps. 

Kyllinga melanosperma (Syn: Cyperus melanospermus)

An indigenous perennial  common on the grassy beds of the montane forests.

Mitrasacme prolifera [Syn: Mitrasacme indica]

An indigenous small herb occurs in wet open patana lands from sea level to about 700 m elevations.

* Size of the flower 3-4 mm across.

පිහිඹිය[Pehimbiya] (Filicium decipiens)

An indigenous medium to large size tree common in intermediate and wet zone forests up to 900 m elevations. Flowering and fruiting occurs from January to April. Often planted as an ornamental and shade tree. 

නෙළු[Nelu] (Strobilanthes diandra)

An endemic under-shrub grows in primary and secondary montane forests and scrubs mainly in the northern part of the Kandy district from 900-1600 m a.s.l.

ගැරඬි වැල්/ගෝපි/ප්‍රියවර්ණ[Garandi wel/Gopi/Priyawarna]Ichnocarpus(Ichnocarpus frutescens)

Common native woody twiner of scrub like secondary vegetation in dry lowlands up to about 1000 m elevations.

Thornless mimosa (Aeschynomene americana)

An introduced herb native to tropical and subtropical America. Cultivated as a green-manure cover crop and as hay. Escaped and naturalized along roadsides and waste places.

ගස් ගොනික[Gas gonika] (Pseudarthria viscida)

Common native erect, trailing or more or less twining perennial herb in light woodlands of the low country up to about 1000 m elevations. 

වල් අසමෝදගම්[Wal Asamodhagam] (Pimpinella heyneana)

An indigenous annual herb occurs in moist areas among grass under trees, along roadsides and waste grounds, mainly in the dry lowlands from 70 to 170 m elevations and up to about 1300 m elevations in the Uva province. 

බෝවිටියා[Bowitiya] (Osbeckia aspera)

A much -branched native shrub occurs in grasslands, open forests and among rocks in dry and lower montane zones. 

තරණ[Tarana]/(Tarenna asiatica)

Common native shrub or small tree occurs in dry scrub and open secondary vegetation of the low country. Flowering from February to April.

බූ නෙළු[Bu Nelu](Strobilanthes cordifolia [Syn: Stenosiphonium cordifolium])

An indigenous small shrub grows along streams and river banks of secondary forest undergrowth in the dry and intermediate zones. Common and gregarious plant flowering from December to April. 

නාහ[Naha](Lasiosiphon glaucus [Syn: Gnidia glauca])

A much-branched native shrub or occasionally a small tree. Locally common along dry roadsides, dry ground above rock outcrops, open patana lands and rarely in forests from 610 to 1200 m elevations in the western part of the Uva province and eastern part of the Central province.  

කන් හැන්ද[Kan Henda]/Blue fountain bush(Rotheca serrata [Syn: Clerodendrum serratum])

Common indigenous shrub occurs along forest margins of moist low country up to about 1200 m a.s.l. Flowering from April to September. 

Common Hawk Cuckoo/උකුසු කෝකිලයා/උකුසු කොහා[Ukusu Kokilaya/Ukusu Koha] (Hierococcyx varius)

Race ciceliae is rather uncommon breeding resident from foot hills to the higher hills. Migrant race varius is also very rarely recorded from the lowland areas.  It inhabits well wooded gardens, tea estates, forests, etc. Common Hawk Cuckoo feeds mainly on insects in canopy. But it is said that it also eat some berries and wild figs. It is mostly a solitary bird though sometimes encounters in pairs. It calls day and night during the breeding season though a silent bird out of the season. The breeding season is from January to April and it is a parasitic on babblers.

* Common Hawk Cuckoo very closely resembles the Shikra not only in both adults and juvenile coloration, but also by habitual posture, style of flight and even size.

සිංහලෙන් කියවන්න >>

රම්පේ[Rampeh](Pandanus amaryllifolius)

An introduced shrub native to the Indonesia. Widely cultivated for the musky-scented leaves, commonly used in cooking as a flavoring. Probably introduced several centuries ago. Its Indonesian name Pandan rampeh is long used in Sri Lanka as Rampeh. This species doesn't flower. 

Blyth's Reed-warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum)

Rather common winter migrant to gardens, reed-beds, plantations and scrublands throughout the island. It arrives in October to November and during its stay in the island Blyth's Reed-warbler entirely feeds on small insects, while hopping actively among bushes and trees in search of them. In the evening it likes to settle on a dense shrub or a reed-bed in a marsh. It breeds in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia and leaving the island in April to May.

සිංහලෙන් කියවන්න >>

Comb Duck/Knob-billed Duck/Nukhta/කැබැලිත්තා/කැබැලිතියා[Kebalitta/Kebalitiya](Sarkidiornis melanotos)

Comb Duck or Knob-billed Duck is now considered as a very rare winter migrant to the weedy tanks and water holes adjoining or in forests of the dry lowlands (Warakagoda D. et, al., 2012). However earlier it was considered as a common breeding resident, though nowhere numerous (Legge, V, 1880) In Legge's time it was not uncommon on the tanks of the Vanni and common though not plentiful in the North-Western province and Anuradapura district, frequenting the Medawachchiya and other tanks. It was also found at Mulative and Toopoor, south of Trincomalie. In the eastern province it was inhabited Ambare [Ampara?], Irukkaman and other tanks. Fisher, C.C.S. found it breeding near Yala and there were also records from Tissamaharama tank and probably from Urubokka and other tanks near Tangalla (Legge, V, 1880).

As per W.E. Wait this large duck is nowhere common but may be met with in small flocks on large weedy tanks in the heart of the jungles in the north and east of the island (Wait, W.E. 1931)

While contributing an article to the Loris magazine on the Decrease of Wildfowl in 1951 C.E. Norris doubted whether Comb Duck can be considered as a resident breeding species or even present any longer in the island. The extermination of this duck from the island he considered occurs due to extensive shooting by [so called] 'sportsmen'.

W. W. A Phillips in 1948 and C.E. Norris in 1974,  considered it as an extirpated bird species from Sri Lanka. G.M. Henry in 1955 noted that it does not appear to have seen for many years and feared that it was extinct in the island (Henry, G.M., 1955).

On 4th December 1960 two large ducks believed to be of this species were observed by C.E. Norris at Lahugala and again on 21st February 1961 a courting pair was observed at the same location. The second observation was made by a game ranger P. Jayawardena and he had obtained excellent view of them and identification was confirmed.  Referring these observations W.W.A. Phillips noted that few ducks may be still survive as residents in that area though it had not been observed during that century and was believed to be extinct from the island. (Ebbels, D.L, 1961 & Phillips, W. W. A., 1978) It was also observed at Ruhunu National Park (Yala) during the same period and not been seen again (Savage, C.D.W., 1968)

Sarath Kotagama & Prithiviraj  Fernando in 1994 and J. Harrison & T. Worfolk in 1999 considered it as an extirpated bird species from Sri Lanka.

Report from the Ceylon Bird Club for 2002 recorded two Comb Ducks at Vaddukoddai on March 2002 (Siriwardana, U. 2003a) and it was also observed during the annual waterbird census for 2003 conducted from mid January to mid February by the CBC, in association with Wetland International [Observed location was not mentioned](Siriwardana, U. 2003b). 2004 CBC Report also given two observations. One at Uduvil of Jaffna peninsula on February 2003 and another 3 birds at Giant tank on April same year. (Warakagoda D. & Sirivardana U., 2004)

Probably considering these occasional observations, in their second edition of the Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka Harrison J & Worfolk T. noted that Comb Duck is possibly becoming re-established in the island. However Kotagama S. and Ratnavira G. in 2010 while mentioning above two observations in Mannar and Jaffna areas considered it as a status uncertain bird also stating that it was a former resident but was considered as an extirpated bird later on.

It re-appeared again in 2012 with several sightings. Weeratunga V. et. al. reported flock of five males from Wewegama tank in the proposed Mattala Manage Elephant Range in July 2012. Even before that Dr. Thilak Jayaratne made an observation at Vankali lagoon on 16th April and Asith Jayewardhane reported 13 birds at Magalle tank in Nikawaretiya on 21st July (It was the largest number of birds recorded from Sri Lanka in the recent history.) Also 10 individual were reported from Debarawewa by H.K. Janaka on 3rd August 2012 and 3 females in Bundala on 15th September by H.K. Janaka and Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando. (Weerathunga V. et. al., 2013 ). Report from the CBC for 2012 contains several more sightings (A bird was seen by Nanda Senanayake and others in early July, 3 males observed at Giant tank on July, 12 at Debera wewa on August, Single bird at Embilikala and 6 at Debara wewa on September and another single bird at Mannar during December same year) - (Samaraweera P., 2013)

Two more subsequent sightings were reported at CBC web site -

• Single female from Navadankulama tank on February 2013 by Tara Wickramanayake & Kithsiri Gunawardena.
•  On 7th November 2016 Uditha Hettige has observed 47 birds at Debera wewa. 

Although not formally recorded so far, several sightings of Comb Ducks were reported  during last year and early this year in Social media from Navadankulama, Kirala kele and Maramba tank of Matara, Kibulawela of Kotte, Jaffna, Trincomalee and Weerawila. (FOG, Birds Thaprobanica,  Sri Lanka Birding Circle)

* Above single bird was photographed at Olupattawa wewa near Polgasowita of Colombo district on 25th January 2017.

Habits:
Comb Duck inhabits weedy tanks and lives as small flocks. It feeds on varies vegetable substances like grains, grasses, seeds of water plants, paddy and also variety of aquatic animals. It has a powerful speedy flight. It is less nocturnal contrary to most ducks and roosts at night on larger boughs of trees. The breeding season on Sri Lanka was reported as February to March. The nest is a collection of grass and sticks mixed with feathers and placed in a large hollow in the trunk of a big tree growing near water where it lays 7 to 12 or more eggs. It breeds in Africa, India, South China and South America.

References:

• Ebbels, D.L, 1961, Notes from Ceylon Bird Club January - June, 1961, Loris Vol IX, No 2, December 1961.
• Harrison J. & Worfolk T., 1999 A Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka
• Harrison J. & Worfolk T., 2011 A Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka, Second Edition
• Henry G.M. 1998 A Guide to the birds of Sri Lanka. (3rd edition). 
• Kotagama S. & Fernando P., 1994, A field guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka.
• Kotagama, S., Ratnavira, G. 2010. An illustrated Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka.
• Legge 1880 A History of the birds of Ceylon 1983 second edition. 
• Norris C.E., 1974, The Waterfowl of Sri Lanka, Loris, Vol XIII, No 4, December 1974.
• Norris C.E, 1951, Decrease of Wildfowl, Loris Vol VI, No 1, December 1951.
• Phillips, W. W. A., 1948, Ducks-1947/1948, Loris Vol IV, No 6, June 1948.
• Phillips, W. W. A., 1978, Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), 1978
• Savage, C.D.W., 1968, Wetlands and Wildfowl of Ceylon, Loris Vol XI No 3, June 1968
• Samaraweera P., 2013, Report from the Ceylon Bird Club for 2012, Loris Vol 26, No 5 & 6
• Siriwardana, U. 2003a Report from the Ceylon Bird Club for 2002, Loris Vol 23 No 3&4. 
• Siriwardana, U. 2003b The 2003 Waterbird Census in Sri Lanka, Loris Vol 23 No 3&4.
• Wait, W.E. 1931, Manual of the Birds of Ceylon , second edition, 1931. 
• Warakagoda, D., Inskipp, C., Inskipp, T. & Grimmett, R. 2012. Helm Field Guides - Birds of Sri Lanka. 
• Warakagoda D. & Sirivardana U., 2004. Report from the Ceylon Bird Club for 2003, Loris Vol 23, No 5 & 6
• Weerathunga V. et. al., 2013, Return of the Comb Duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos) to Sri Lanka, Siyoth, Vol 3.

කජු[Caju]/Cashew (Anacardium occidentale)

An introduced small tree native to tropical America. Introduced to Sri Lanka by Portuguese and now widely cultivated as a fruit tree in both wet and dry zones. Also naturalized in the dry zone. The seeds are edible and known as Cashew nuts. Flowering mainly after the wet season. 

Chiasmia nora?

Location: - Arankele
External Link :- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiasmia_nora

White-barred Owl Moth (Erebus hieroglyphica)

Location - Arankele

Wing Expanse - 5- 5.4 cm

Reference - The Lepidoptera of Ceylon - F. Moore, F.Z.S. Vol 3 Page 153-154 As Taramina torsa ?

External Links - http://www.inaturalist.org/listed_taxa/3412271

කිරි මදු/මහ මදු[Kiri Madu/Maha Madu] (Camonea umbellata [Syn: Merremia umbellata])

Common introduced vine found in thickets, forest edges, grasslands, roadsides and waste lands. It forms loose nets of vines on the ground across other vegetation.  

ජයපාල[Jayapala] (Croton klotzschianus [As Croton officinalis])

An indigenous shrub or small tree occurs in hot dry open areas, forest borders and hill sides from sea level to 500 m a.s.l. 

Stemonoporus gracilis

A Critically Endangered endemic tree only known from Kitulgala forest. 

Elatostema lineolatum

An indigenous herb occurs on wet rocks and shady stream banks of the wet zone forests up to about 1000 m elevations. 

ගස් තලා/ඕ තලා[Gas tala/O tala]/Shrubby Basil/Wild Basil(Ocimum gratissimum)

Common native shrub or undershrub found along shaded roadsides and waste places from sea level to about 530 m a.s.l. Flowering throughout the year. The leaves have a mint or camphor like scent when bruised.  

Crotalaria quinquefolia

Common native annual herb occurs in the dry zone areas and occasionally also in the hill country.