Endemic Bird Species in Yala National Park – for the avid bird watchers

When you first see this bird the first thought that pops into your mind will be 'is that a rooster?'. Although this bird is from the same family is definitely not a rooster. It is also known as the Ceylon Junglefowl and scientifically called gallus lafayettii and is the national bird of Sri Lanka. The bird is similar to the red junglefowl and the wild junglefowl. The female birds look quite plain in comparison to the males who are larger and have a better colouring.

This bird is no bigger than 16 centimetres in length. The bird has a unique way of hopping about to gather food and its call sounds as though the bird is saying "pretty dear'. The upper part of the bird is dark brown while the rest of the body is a cinnamon coloured. This cute little bird lives in the undergrowth of the forest and lays its 2-3 eggs in a hole in the ground covered by greenery. Yala National Park is home to this bird, so avid bird lovers staying at a Yala resort will have a chance to see it.

This bird has a jet-black head and a yellow body. They are usually found in pairs and keep hopping around from tree to shrub and shrub to tree to look for insects and fruit to eat. To make their nest the male and female bring together leaves and bind them together with cobweb to make the base of their nest. Here they lay just two eggs and take turns to incubate and protect the eggs. The nest is usually on trees but not too far away from the ground.

This species of bird lives in the mountains but looks for wet evergreen forests during the mating season. The bird's head is lilac and the colouring fades into grey at the lower area. It has quick flight much like any other pigeon. This is a mostly silent bird but once in a way it calls out with coo that sounds similar to the sound of the owl.

This little bird is just 15 centimetres in length. It is also known as the Ceylon small barbet and is endemic to Sri Lanka as well as the Indian Ghats. This bird has a large head, short tail and a short neck too, the adult bird is mostly green in colour. This bird feeds on fruit and insects and makes its nest in a tree hole laying 2-3 eggs. If you are lodged at nature properties like Chena Huts, then keep an eye open for these birds.