After my latest put up on my 12 favorite species in South Africa, I made a decision to show to Sri Lanka, the place I lived after most of my youth in South Africa. As this nation is means smaller than South Africa and I additionally didn’t dwell there for as a few years, I believed it will be simpler to restrict myself to 10 species. This anticipated ease turned out to be treacherously false, however in the long run I happily managed to restrict myself to 10 species.
Serendip Scops-Owl
I believe it’s a coincidence that it’s once more an owl occupying the primary place on this listing, however no coincidence that it seems on this listing alltogether. This hen might be objectively the good hen of Sri Lanka not solely as a result of its gorgeous look but in addition as a result of it was solely described to science in 2004 – simply 15 years earlier than I first noticed it! It additionally has one of the crucial lovely names of all scops-owls.
Sri Lanka Thrush
This hen needed to be right here as a result of I had lengthy wished to see all endemics within the nation. On the similar time, dwelling in a spot somewhat than visiting as a vacationer means that there’s a lot much less strain to succeed in such a goal. This made me somewhat too laid-back than I ought to’ve been to succeed in my goal. I solely noticed it the Sri Lanka Thrush few weeks earlier than I moved overseas for good.
Black-rumped Flameback
This was a backyard hen in Colombo and is definitely one of the crucial gorgeous woodpeckers on the market (okay, I don’t wish to take into consideration this assertion an excessive amount of earlier than I recall Nice Slaty, Coronary heart-spotted, Southern Floor, and so on., and so on.). I’ll always remember its glowing crimson again because it perched on the palm trunks round our home.
Crimson-fronted Barbet
I like the colorful barbets of South and Southeast Asia, and this hen is not any exception. An endemic to Sri Lanka, that is most likely probably the most vibrant barbet of the island. This hen was pretty common in our neighbourhood (although not as widespread because the Brown-headed Barbet), and through the COVID-19 lockdowns I spent a number of days watching a pair at a nest, and a chick finally fledging, near my house. Having the ability to accompany this course of was one in all my many memorable birding moments in Sri Lanka.
Stork-billed Kingfisher
This hen kicked out Painted Francolin within the final minute, cause being that I’ve seen it rather more regularly (the francolin solely twice) and that it’s merely a extra uncommon hen than the francolin, which was extra within the race for its rarity in Sri Lanka. The completely large invoice of the Stork-billed Kingfisher may be very spectacular, however its vivid blue again can also be exceptionally lovely, being identical to the blue flash of a flying Frequent Kingfisher, solely like 5 of these tied collectively.
Frequent Hawk-Cuckoo
That is the one species within the listing I’ve by no means seen, though I’ve actually stood underneath the tree from the place it was calling a handful of occasions. Not solely that, however a good friend of mine who’s extra of an off-the-cuff birdwatcher has seen it a number of occasions. These are certainly two standards for a real bogey/nemesis hen. As a cuckoo, it’s also a really cool species and I stay up for finally seeing this beast.
Indian Pitta
Wherever they happen, I believe it ought to be compulsory that pittas characteristic on an inventory similar to this one. Therefore, whereas the inclusion of the Indian Pitta is well-deserved, this species doesn’t evaluate to a few of the completely dramatic representatives of this group, such because the African Pitta which I’ve seen in Zimbabwe or my favorite of all, the Malayan Banded Pitta. I’ve seen it close to my home, within the highlands, and within the northern lowlands, however am nonetheless at all times desperate to see it once more.
Ruddy-breasted Crake
I’ve had a number of good encounters with this species, which is somewhat stunning because the phrase crake often implies some impossibly elusive beast calling from dense reeds. In reality, I coincidentally got here throughout a gaggle of birders (together with a instructor from my faculty) in one in all my first weeks within the nation, in a city wetland near my house, who had been watching this hen. The crake stayed for fairly some time, giving me a number of good views. I actually love crakes, and any high quality crake sighting is due to this fact at all times a spotlight.
Sri Lanka Blue Magpie
An endemic of Sri Lanka, this species is a basic hen of the Sinharaja forest. It additionally usually greets guests on the entrance to the forest, making it a hen I join with all my visits to this legendary forest. They’re comparatively approachable, however sadly circumstances have by no means been ample for a extremely good photograph.
Sri Lanka Frogmouth
This species is endemic to Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats, the place it happens in forests however is often solely seen roosting by day within the densest of tangles throughout the undergrowth. One other typical species in Sinharaja, the native guides are often capable of find a roosting pair in swampy areas with tree ferns within the forest.
Having minimize down the listing to 10 makes me much more desperate to see all of the species that didn’t make it. Nevertheless, I equally stay up for returning to Sri Lanka to see all of those species once more (and at last nail down the hawk-cuckoo!). There may be additionally an excellent assortment of shorebird species to be discovered on the island (together with Crab Plover), which makes a winter go to significantly worthwhile. I didn’t wish to add waders on this listing as they aren’t distinctive to Sri Lanka, however watching plovers, stints, and different waders alongside the northern coasts is one other birding spotlight on the island for me.
