Joanna James
Home to over 450 bird species, Sri Lanka, is where you should come to if you want to sight the rarest forms of birdlife. For your benefit, mentioned below are a few places you might find interesting.
A repository of migratory and endemic birds, Sigiriya is filled to capacity with canopied forests and waterways making it a haven for bird enthusiasts. The crested treeswift, the grey bellied cuckoo, the orange-headed thrush, the Ceylon wood shrike are some of the species you might glimpse at in the shrubs and trees in Sigiriya.
The park ranges over 979 km and is comprised of five different zones. The whole of the terrain is thick with shrubs, tanks, dunes, cliffs and grasslands. Every inch of the park is adorned with the most enticing forms of birdlife offering birdwatchers the best experience they've ever had. Among the most sighted birds are purple heron, crimson, pelicans, grey hornhill and ruddy turnstone.
Bird watching in Sri Lanka is not constrained to one place. All over the country are parks, forests and wetlands that are cluttered with birds. Bundala is one such place that tour companies such as Cinnamon Nature Trails include in their travel itineraries. Herons are the distinctive feature of the sanctuary while bird forms like the great thick-knee, black-necked stork, rosy starling are aplenty too.
It wouldn't be exaggeratory to say that Sinharaja Forest presides over all the other bird watching sites in Sri Lanka. The forest was established a UNESCO world heritage owing to its rich biodiversity. The natural sanctuary is crowded by jungle fowls, blue magpies, red marbles and many other forms of migratory and endemic birds.
If you mean to make a study of birds, there's no better place for that than Kumana bird sanctuary. Located in Ampara district, the refuge is blessed with a warm climate making it a desired spot for migratory birds. On your trip to Kumana, you will see herons, egrets, cormorants, white ibis, pelicans and painted storks.
The park is an oasis for bird lovers as it is home to over a 100 species of birdlife. Little egret, spoonbill, purple coot, Ceylon Lorikeet, yellow bittern, Indian stone curlew embellish the park with their prevalent presence while peacocks steal their thunder roaming around grabbing everyone's attention.
The enticing bird watching site Udawalwe National park is one of the best places where you can see the most captivating forms of birdlife. The park is majorly visited by nature photographers who aim to capture a glimpse of beautiful nature. The national park is made vivacious by capped babbler, jungle fowl, red-faced malkoha and grey hornbill. You will sure be engrossed in the colourful world of birds the moment you set foot in the park.
Located in the country highlands, Horton Plains is a plateau rich in biodiversity – due to which the park was designated a world heritage site. An hour's drive from Nuwara Eliya, the prairie is home to some unique flora and fauna that is not found anywhere else in the country. The park is quite the spot for birdwatchers as the place is swarming with highland birds, endemic birds and migratory birds. Most people start the journey early in the morning to make the most of their bird watching excursion. If you happen to be in the hill country on your vacation, you should include Horton Plains on your tour.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
