Saturday, December 1, 2012

Bird Watching Tour Sri Lanka is a true paradise for bird lovers and Ornithologists and probably the best place in the world to watch birds. Sri Lanka has a total list of over 430 species of birds. Of these, 233 are resident and these include the most important 26 species that are recognised as endemic to the country. Most of the resident species are shared with the Asian mainland. Although a small island, Sri Lanka's environment ranges from wet to dry zone, forest to jungle, and hill country to low lands, there's no end to the fascinating locations in which to observe such a large array of birds. Most of the endemic birds, such as the striking Red-faced Malkoha & Green billed Coucal are restricted to the wet zone, while birds such as the Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush and the Yellow-eared Bulbul reside in the hill country. Others, like the brilliantly plumaged Junglefowl, and the shy Brown-capped Babbler can be found in forests and sanctuaries throughout the island. The large lakes (irrigation reservoirs) in the dry zone attract numerous varieties of duck, while larger aquatic birds such as the stork, heron, egret, spoonbill, pelican, and ibis can easily be seen in the wetlands. Around mid-August the first migratory species arrive in Sri Lanka. Large flocks of sandpipers, stints, plovers, terns and harriers fly over from Northern India, Siberia, Scandinavia and Western Europe and settle along the lagoons and salterns of the eastern, north-western and south-eastern coasts. In the forested areas of Sri Lanka, migratory birds like tree warblers, thrushes and cuckoos can be seen. There are many good birding sites in Sri Lanka but Sinharaja World Heritage Wilderness area, Bundala Ramsar site, Yala and Uda Walawe National Parks; Horton Plains are imperative for any birder. These will give all the endemics plus some other spectacular species.