Below is a listing of birds found in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) – native, introduced or vagrant:
Birds of Prey … Owls / Owlets … Doves / Pigeons … Parrots / Parakeets … Water / Wetland Birds: Listing or Photos
Photos of Forest / Inland Birds found in Sri Lanka
Index of Forest Species Found in Sri Lanka: A – C (below) … D – M (Page 2) … N – Z (Page 3)
Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa dauurica) – Range: Breeds in Japan, eastern Siberia and the Himalayas. Winters in tropical southern Asia from southern India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia.
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
Ashy Prinia or Ashy Wren-Warbler (Prinia socialis) – Resident breeder in the Indian subcontinent, western Myanmar and 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-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus)
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
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) – Vagrant
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
Common Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus) / Sri Lanka Woodshrike (Tephrodornis affinis)
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
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
Eastern Great Egret (Ardea modesta)
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.
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
Green-billed Coucal (Centropus chlororhynchos) – Rainforests of southwest Sri Lanka
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-breasted Prinia (Prinia hodgsonii) – A resident breeder in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka and southeast Asia.
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 Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis) – Range: Tropical Asia from Oman, Yemen, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka into Southeast Asia
Indian Nightjar (Caprimulgus asiaticus) – Range: India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia
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 Swiftlet or Indian Edible-nest Swiftlet (Aerodramus unicolor) – Breeds in the hills of Sri Lanka and south west India.
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
Jungle Prinia (Prinia sylvatica)
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
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 Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus)
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
Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher also known as the Black-backed Kingfisher (Ceyx erithaca) – Range: Lowland forests in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam
Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis) – Range: Tropical southern Asia from Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia, south China and the Philippines
Pacific Swallow or Hill Swallow (Hirundo tahitica)
Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) – Range: Asia from India and Sri Lanka to southeast Asia
Pelzeln’s Finches aka Yellow Finches or Saffron Finches (Lonchura punctulata) – Range: Sri Lanka, India, southern China, Taiwan, Luzon, Malaysia, Indonesia
Plain Prinia, or the Plain, or White-browed Wren-Warbler (Prinia inornata)
Red Avadavat / Red Munia / Strawberry Finch (Amandava amandava)
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
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
Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus), also known as the Antarctic Giant Petrel, Giant Fulmar, Stinker, and Stinkpot – Seabird
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
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 Frogmouth (Batrachostomus s moniliger)
Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill aka Ceylon Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros gingalensis)
Sri Lanka Junglefowl (Gallus lafayetii)
Sri Lanka Myna (Gracula ptilogenys) – Range: Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka White-eye (Zosterops ceylonensis) – previously referred to as Ceylon White-eye – Found mainly in the highlands
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)
Tricolored Munia (Lonchura malacca) – Native species
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (Sitta frontalis) – Range: Southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to south China and Indonesia
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-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
Wire-tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii) – Uncommon Vagrant
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
