It is no secret! we at Ranfer Travels love our birds. Anyone reading our profile and website will know our true passion is bird watching and Sri Lanka ‘s rich and diverse bird-life will not disappoint the most discerning bird lover. This truly is am Ornithologist’s paradise. Of the more than 420 recorded bird varieties, 250 are resident and 23 are native to the country. Srilanka offers a staggering diversity of environments which are havens to these species.

They range from wet, dry to the extreme dry zone, from rain forests, the hill country to the low land plains, and the diversity goes on. Many of the endemic birds such as the Sri Lankan Grackle are limited to the wet region, while birds like the Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush and the Yellow-Eared Bulbul are restricted mainly to the hill climates.

Other varieties, such as the radiant jungle fowl (is Sri Lanka’s national bird), the striking red-faced Malkoha and the bashful brown capped Babbler can be found in forests and bird sanctuaries throughout the island. Two of the best regions for sightings are the Sinharaja Rain Forest Sanctuary and the Adam’s Peak Wilderness Reserve.

Srilanka’s dry zone offers many scenic lakes as which were built in the an ancient time as irrigation reservoirs. These large lakes are a haven for many birds and attract diverse range of aquatic birds like the stork, heron, a veriety of ducks, egret, pelican, spoonbill and ibis. Sanctuaries such as Bundala National Park, Kalametiya, Wirawila are popular spots for bird watching and attract large flocks of migratory flamingoes.

Mid August is an ideal time for bird watching as we see the first of the migratory birds as they arrive to Srilanka. Visitors can see large flocks of stints, plovers, Sandpipers, Terns and Harriers as they fly over from North India, Siberia, Scandinavia and other parts of West Europe and reside along the many lagoons and Salterns of the North-Western, Eastern and South-Eastern Coast of the island. In the wet zone of Sri Lanka visitors will be able to see sightings of the migratory Thrush, Tree Warblers, and Cuckoos.

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