Birds Found in Sri Lanka
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Birds native to, or found in Sri Lanka:
Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria) - Range: India and Sri Lanka to Southeast Asia
Asian Openbill Stork (A. oscitans) - Range: Tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Southeast Asia.
Ashy Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus) - Range: Southern Asia from eastern Afghanistan east to southern China and Indonesia. Many winter in peninsular India and Sri Lanka
Ashy-headed Laughingthrush (Garrulax cinereifrons) - Range: Sri Lanka
Asian Emerald Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx maculatus) - Range: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam
Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea)aka Common Koel or Rainbird (in eastern Australia) - Range: Tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to south China and Australasia. May winter in Eastern Australia
Asian Openbill Stork (Anastomus oscitans) - Range: Tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Southeast Asia
Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus) aka Tamil in Sri Lanka - Range: South and Southeast Asia
Bay-backed Shrike (Lanius vittatus) - Range: Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, and has recently been recorded from Sri Lanka
Bengalese Finches aka Society Finches (Lonchura striata) - Range: Sri Lanka, India, southern China, Malaysia, and Sumatra
Black Bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis) - Range: Tropical Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to China, Indonesia and Australia
Black-capped Kingfisher (Halcyon pileata) - Range: Tropical Asia from India east to China, Korea and Southeast Asia. Wintering range extends to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Borneo and Java
Black-crested Bulbul (Pycnonotus melanicterus) - Range: Southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia
Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) - Range: Southern Asia from southwest Iran through India and Sri Lanka east to southern China and Indonesia
Black Eagle (Ictinaetus malayensis) - Range: Southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to Southeast Asia
Black-headed Munias or Chestnut Munias (Lonchura atricapilla, formerly Lonchura malacca atricapilla) - Range: Southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia and the Philippines
Black-hooded Oriole (Oriolus xanthornus) - Range: Tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia
Black-naped Monarch (Hypothymis azurea), also known as the Black-naped Blue Monarch - Range: Southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia and the Philippines
Black-rumped Flameback Woodpecker aka Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker (Dinopium benghalense psarodes)
Black-throated Munia or Jerdon's Mannikin (Lonchura kelaarti) - Range: Southwest India, the Eastern Ghats and Sri Lanka
Blue-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus viridirostris) - Range: Sri Lanka and southern India
Brahminy Mynah or Brahminy Starling (Sturnus pagodarum) - Range: Eastern Afghanistan, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka
Brown-capped Babbler (Pellorneum fuscocapillum) - Range: Sri Lanka
Brown Hawk Owl (Ninox scutulata) - Range: South Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to western Indonesia and south China
Brown Wood Owl (Strix leptogrammica) - Range: South Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to western Indonesia and south China
Chestnut-backed Owlet (Glaucidium castanonotum) - Range: Sri Lanka
Chestnut-winged Cuckoo (Clamator coromandus) - Range: Breeds in the Himalayas and north-east India. It winters in Sri Lanka and southern India.
Chestnut Munias (Lonchura atricapilla, formerly Lonchura malacca atricapilla) - Range: Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, western Myanmar, Java, Bali
Cinnamon Bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus) - Range: Tropical Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to China and Indonesia
Collared Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena) - Range: South Asia from eastern Arabia through India, except the far north, and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus objurgatus) - Bird of Prey - Range: Western and Eastern Ghats of India; Sri Lanka
Common Myna or Indian or Talking Myna (Acridotheres tristis) - Range: Tropical southern Asia from Afghanistan to India and Sri Lanka. Self-introduced in South Africa, Israel, Hawaii, North America (especially in southern Florida area), Australia and New Zealand
Coppersmith Barbet or Crimson-breasted Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala) - Range: South Asia, with occasional presence in Southeast Asia
Crested Goshawk (Accipiter trivirgatus) - Range: Southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to south China, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is found in Kam Shan Country Park of Hong Kong
Crimson-fronted Barbets (Megalaima rubricapilla) or Small Barbets - Range: A resident breeder in south west India and Sri Lanka
Dark-fronted Babbler (Rhopocichla atriceps) - Range: Sri Lanka, and in the Western Ghats of southern India
Dull-blue Flycatcher (Eumyias sordida) - Range: Hills of central Sri Lanka
Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica) - Range: Tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia and northern and eastern Australia
Eurasian Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus chloropus) - Range: NW Europe to N Africa and eastwards to C Siberia, humid regions of southern Asia to Japan and C Malaysia. Also Sri Lanka and the Canary, Azores, and Cape Verde Islands
European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) - Range: Southern Europe and in parts of north Africa and western Asia. Winters in tropical Africa or North-Western India, southern India and Sri Lanka
Greater Adjutant, (Leptoptilos dubius) - Range: Southern Asia from Pakistan and India, Sri Lanka east to Borneo, but is now restricted to two separate small breeding populations; in Assam and Cambodia. Winter south to Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar.
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Greater Flameback Woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes lucidus) aka Large Golden-backed Woodpecker or Malherbe's Golden-backed Woodpecker - Range: Indian subcontinent eastwards through tropical southern Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus) - Range: Tropical southern Asia from Kashmir, India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia
Grey-bellied Cuckoo or the Indian Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis passerinus) - Range: Tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to south China and Indonesia
Grey-headed Fish Eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus) - Breeds in southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to south east Asia and the Philippines
Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa) - Range: Tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia and has been introduced to the USA
Indian Cuckoo (Cuculus micropterus) - Range: Tropical southern Asia from Pakistan and India, Sri Lanka east to Indonesia.
House Crow (Corvus splendens), also known as the Colombo Crow - Range: Southern Asia, being native to India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Laccadive Islands, South West Thailand and coastal southern Iran. Introduced to East Africa around Zanzibar and Port Sudan and Australia
Indian Lorikeets (Loriculus vernalis) - Range: South-western India eastwards to Southeast Asia. In Sri Lanka
Indian Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis) - Range: Ttropical Asia from Oman, Yemen, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka into Southeast Asia
Indian Nightjar (Caprimulgus asiaticus) - Range: India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia
Indian Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) aka Black Shaheen or Indian Shaheen - Range: South Asia from Pakistan across India to Sri Lanka and Southeastern China. In Sri Lanka this species is found to favor the higher hills while the migrant calidus is more often seen along the coast. Description: It is small and dark, with rufous underparts barred with lighter color.
Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii) - Range: Europa, Asia and Africa), breeding in southern Iran and east to India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka
Indian Robin (Saxicoloides fulicata) - Range: Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka
Indian Scimitar Babbler (Pomatorhinus horsfieldii) - Range: India and Sri Lanka
Indian Scops Owl (Otus lettia) - Range: South Asia from northern Pakistan, northern India and the Himalayas east to south China. It is partially migratory, with some birds wintering in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia
Jerdon's Mannikins or Black-throated Munias (Lonchura kelaarti) - Range: Southwest India, the Eastern Ghats and Sri Lanka
Jerdon's Nightjar (Caprimulgus atripennis) - Range: Southern India and Sri Lanka
Jungle Bush Quail (Perdicula asiatica) - Range: South Asia. specifically India and Sri Lanka
Kashmir Flycatcher (Ficedula subrubra) - Range: North-west Himalayas in the Kashmir area of Pakistan and India. It is migratory and winters in the hills of central Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats of India
Layard's Parakeet (Psittacula calthropae) - Range: Ceylon, Sri Lanka where it is locally common
Lesser Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna javanica) or Indian Whistling Duck - Range: South Asia and southeast Asia. From the Pakistan lower river valleys eastwards across most of peninsular India, Nepal terai, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, south China, to Vietnam
Lesser Yellownape (Picus chlorolophus) - Range: Tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to south China and Sumatra
Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger) - Range: Ttropical south Asia from southern Pakistan through India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia
Long-billed Plover (Charadrius placidus) - Range: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Malabar Trogon (Harpactes fasciatus) - Range: Mostly restricted to Sri Lanka and western India. A few small pockets of distribution exist in the Eastern Ghats and Central India.
Nutmeg Mannikins or Spice Finches (Lonchura punctulata) - Range: Tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia and the Philippines
Orange-billed Babbler (Turdoides rufescens) - Range: Sri Lanka
Orange-breasted Green Pigeon (Treron bicincta) - Range: Tropical southern Asia in the Himalaya and the hills of India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis) - Range: Ttropical southern Asia from Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia, south China and the Philippines
Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) - Range: Asia from India and Sri Lanka to southeast Asia
Pariah Kite / Bird of Prey (Milvus migrans govinda) - Range: Eastern Pakistan east through tropical India and Sri Lanka to Indochina and Malay Peninsula
Pelzeln's Finches aka Yellow Finches or Saffron Finches (Lonchura punctulata) - Range: Sri Lanka, India, southern China, Taiwan, Luzon, Malaysia, Indonesia
Plum-headed Parakeets (Psittacula cyanocephala) - Range: Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Rameswaram Island, most of India, Rawalpindi in West Pakistan, Nepal east to Bhutan and West Bengal.
Pompadour Green Pigeon or Grey-fronted Green Pigeon (Treron pompadora) - Range: Tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to the Philippines. In India they are found as disjunct populations in the Western Ghats, some parts of the Eastern Ghats, North-eastern India and in the Andaman Island chain
Red-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus) - Range: Endemic to Sri Lanka
Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) - Range: Tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Burma and southwestern China. Self-introduced in the wild in many Pacific islands including Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and Hawaii. Established itself in parts of Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand.
Richard's Pipit (Anthus richardi) - Range: Northern Asia, but migrates south. Vagrant to western Europe.
Scaly-breasted Munias aka Spice Finches or Nutmeg Mannikins (Lonchura punctulata) - Range: Sri Lanka, India, southern China, Taiwan, Luzon, Malaysia, Indonesia
Slaty-legged Crake or Banded Crake (Rallina eurizonoides) - Range: South Asia east from India and Sri Lanka to the Philippines and Indonesia
Serendib Scops Owl (Otus thilohoffmanni) - the most recently discovered bird in Sri Lanka since 1868, formally described as a species new to science in 2004. It is also the 24th (according to some authorities the 27th) endemic bird species for Sri Lanka
Sociable Lapwing or Sociable Plover (Vanellus gregarius) - Range: Russia and Kazakhstan. Migrates south through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey, to key wintering sites in Israel, Syria, Eritrea, Sudan and north-west India. Birds winter occasionally in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Oman
Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus) - Range: Sea coasts and adjacent hinterland on the Chukchi Peninsula and southwards along the isthmus of the Kamchatka peninsula. Migrates down the Pacific coast through Japan, North Korea, South Korea and China, to its main wintering grounds in South and South-East Asia, where it has been recorded from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore
Spot-bellied Eagle Owl, also known as the Forest Eagle Owl or Ulama / Devil Bird (Bubo nipalensis) - Range: Southern and south-eastern Asia
Sirkeer Malkoha or Sirkeer Cuckoo (Phaenicophaeus leschenaultii) - Range: Sub-Himalayan Indian subcontinent, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka; patchy in Pakistan and Rajasthan
Sri Lanka Blue Magpie or Ceylon Magpie (Urocissa ornata) - Range: Hill forests of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka or Ceylon Hanging Parrot (Loriculus beryllinus) - Range: Sri Lanka (previously known as Ceylon - before 1972)
Sri Lanka Frogmouth (Batrachostomus moniliger)
Sri Lanka Junglefowl (Gallus lafayetii)
Sri Lanka Myna (Gracula ptilogenys) - Range: Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Woodpigeon (Columba torringtoni) - Range: Mountains of Sri Lanka. Uupperparts and tail grey; head and underparts are lilac, becoming paler on the belly. There is a black-and-white chessboard pattern on the nape
Stork-billed Kingfisher (Pelargopsis capensis) - Range: Tropical south Asia from India and Sri Lanka to Indonesia.
Swinhoe's Snipe (Gallinago megala) also known as Forest Snipe or Chinese Snipe - Range: Central and southern Siberia and Mongolia. Migrate to eastern and southern India, Sri Lanka, south-eastern China, South-East Asia and New Guinea
Tawny-bellied Babbler (Dumetia hyperythra) - Range: Southeast Asia (India, Sri Lanka and southwest Nepal)
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (Sitta frontalis) - Range: Southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to south China and Indonesia
Vernal Hanging Parrot (Loriculus vernalis) - also known as Indian Hanging Parrot, Indian Lorikeet, Indian Hanging Lorikeet or Green Hanging Parrot - Range: South-western India eastwards to Southeast Asia. In Sri Lanka
Watercock (Gallicrex cinerea) - Range: South Asia from India and Sri Lanka to south China, Japan and Indonesia
White-backed Finches or White-backed Munias (Lonchura striata) - Range: Sri Lanka, India, southern China, Malaysia, and Sumatra
White-bellied Drongo (Dicrurus caerulescens) - Range: India and Sri Lanka
White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) - Resident from India through southeast Asia to Australia on coasts and major waterways
White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus) - Range: South Asia from India and Sri Lanka to south China and Indonesia
White-browed Bulbul (Pycnonotus luteolus) - Range: Endemic to Sri Lanka and the coasts of peninsular India
White-browed Fantail (Rhipidura aureola) - Range: Tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Vietnam
White-faced
Starling (Sturnus albofrontatus) - Range: Sri Lanka
White-naped Woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes festivus) - Range: India and Sri Lanka
White's Thrush (Zoothera dauma - sub-species: Z. d. imbicata) - Range: Hills of Sri Lanka
White-throated Flowerpecker or Legge's Flowerpecker (Dicaeum vincens) - Range: Sri Lanka
Wood Snipe (Gallinago nemoricola) - Range: Himalayas of northern India, Nepal, Bhutan and southern China. Vagrant in central and southern India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, north Thailand and Laos.
Yellow-billed Babbler (Turdoides affinis) - Range: Sri Lanka and southern India
Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) - Range: Tropical Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Japan and Indonesia
Yellow-browed Bulbul (Iole indica) - Range: Hills of Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats of India and in small pockets of the Eastern Ghats of India. Restricted range, but can readily be found at sites such as Kitulgala and Sinharaja in Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats
Yellow-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus penicillatus) - Range: Highlands of Sri Lanka
Yellow-fronted Barbets (Megalaima flavifrons) - Range: Sri Lanka
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Common Kestrel











Jungle Bush Quail













Swinhoe's Snipe











