Sri Lanka is home to 34 endemicbird species.[1] The number of bird species recorded in the island is 492 of which 219 are breeding residents. BirdLife International recognize Sri Lanka as one of the world's Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs).[2] The number of endemic species has changed over the years.[3] This is largely due to "close taxonomic revisions". The number of endemic species has fluctuated from 20 to 47.[1] Since 1977 the number has settled at around 21. The figure was increased to 23 in 1990. Many authorities have accepted this figure since then.[3] Wijesinghe published A Checklist of the Birds of Sri Lanka in 1994 which considered the addition of three more species, but this move did not receive widespread recognition because its rationale was not in keeping with rigorous taxonomic practice. Subsequent publications on the avifauna of Sri Lanka and the South Asia region have not listed these three as endemics. However, within some Sri Lankan circles considered the endemics proposed by Wijesinghe as acceptable. This may be due to an over-enthusiasm in increasing endemic numbers to create a better ornithological image and increase the demand for commercial birdwatching.[3]
In 2004, Deepal Warakagoda and Pamela C. Rasmussen described a new bird species, the Serendib scops-owl (Otus thilohofmanni). This is the first new bird species discovered in Sri Lanka since 1868, when the Sri Lanka whistling-thrush (Myophonus blighi) was described.[4] There are some proposals for species level taxonomic revisions, and therefore endemic status in Sri Lanka.[1] The country prefix "Sri Lanka" in common names is normally restricted to endemic species. However Sarath Kotagama et al. (2006) disagree with Sibley and Monroe (1990) on the use of "Ceylon" in common species' names, suggesting instead that they should reflect the change of the official English name of the island from Ceylon to name Sri Lanka.[3] Sibley and Monroe's rationale was "Ceylon" is the geographical unit and "Sri Lanka" is the country which occupies the island. The geographical name is normally used for animal ranges, for example Madagascar is used rather than its nation, the Malagasy Republic."[3]
Change in number of endemics
Year
Number of species
Reference
Comment
1872
37
Holdsworth – Catalogue of Birds found in Ceylon
1880
47
Legge – A History of Birds of Ceylon
Included 17 species in the present list
1931
25
Wait – Manual of Birds of Ceylon
Excluded the red faced-malkoha
1944
22
Whistler – Avifaunal Survey of Ceylon
1946
20
Ripley – Comments to Endemic Birds of Ceylon
Grey hornbill, rufous babbler and red-faced malkoha were excluded
1952
21
Phillips – Revised Checklist of Birds of Ceylon
Red-faced malkoha and Ceylon grackle included
1975
20
Phillips – Revised Checklist of Birds of Ceylon
Black capped bulbul excluded
1977
21
Flemming – Notes On Endemic Birds of Ceylon
Rufous babbler included
1978
21
Phillips – Revised Checklist of Birds of Ceylon
1990
23+1
Sibley & Monroe – Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World
Crimson fronted barbet suggested as endemic
1994
23+1
Kotagama and Fernando – A Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka
Follow Sibley and Monroe
1994
23+3
Wijesinghe – A Checklist of the Birds of Sri Lanka
Three species are suggested as endemic
1996
23+3
Inskip et al. – An Annotated Checklist of the Birds of the Oriental Region
Follow Sibley and Monroe refers to Wijesinghe
1998
23
Grimmett et al. – Birds of the Indian Subcontinent
1999
23
Harrison – A Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka
2013
26
Kotagama – A Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka (revised)
Crimson-fronted barbet, pompadour green pigeon and black-capped bulbul included
Source: Kotagama et al., 2013
The number has since increased to 27 with the Sri Lanka Shama (Copsychus leggei) being split from White-Rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus) in 2022[5]
The Sri Lanka blue magpie or Ceylon magpie is a brightly coloured member of the family Corvidae, found exclusively in Sri Lanka. This species is adapted to hunting in the dense canopy, where it is highly active and nimble. Its flight is rather weak, though, and is rarely used to cover great distances. In spite of the Sri Lanka blue magpie's ability to adapt to the presence of humans, it is classified as vulnerable to extinction due to the fragmentation and destruction of its habitat of dense primary forest in the wet zone of southern Sri Lanka.
The red-faced malkoha is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. This malkoha species is endemic to Sri Lanka
The Sri Lanka bush warbler, also known as Ceylon bush warbler or Palliser's warbler, is an Old World warbler which is an endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka, where it is the only bush warbler.
Layard's parakeet is a parrot which is a resident endemic breeder in Sri Lanka. The common name of this bird commemorates the British naturalist Edgar Leopold Layard; his first wife, Barbara Anne Calthrop, whom he married in 1845, is commemorated in the specific epithet.
Legge's flowerpecker or the white-throated flowerpecker, is a small passerine bird. It is an endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka. It is named after the Australian ornithologist William Vincent Legge.
The Serendib scops owl is the most recently discovered bird of Sri Lanka. It was originally located by its unfamiliar poo-ooo call in the Kitulgala rainforest by prominent Sri Lankan ornithologist Deepal Warakagoda. Six years later, it was finally seen by him on 23 January 2001 in Sinharaja, and formally described as a species new to science in 2004. Apart from Sinharaja and Kitulgala, it has also been found at Runakanda Reserve in Morapitiya and Eratna Gilimale. It is known as පඩුවන් බස්සා in Sinhala.
The whistling ducks or tree ducks are a subfamily, Dendrocygninae, of the duck, goose and swan family of birds, Anatidae. In other taxonomic schemes, they are considered a separate family, Dendrocygnidae. Some taxonomists list only one genus, Dendrocygna, which contains eight living species, and one undescribed extinct species from Aitutaki of the Cook Islands, but other taxonomists also list the white-backed duck under the subfamily.
Campylorhynchus is a genus of wrens, which has at least 15 described species. At 17–22 cm (6.8-8.7 in) long, these are the largest-bodied of wrens, including the largest species, the giant wren. Member species are found in South and Central America and in some cases, as far north as the southwestern United States.
Bundala National Park is an internationally important wintering ground for migratory water birds in Sri Lanka. Bundala harbors 197 species of birds, the highlight being the greater flamingo, which migrate in large flocks. Bundala was designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1969 and redesignated to a national park on 4 January 1993. In 1991 Bundala became the first wetland to be declared as a Ramsar site in Sri Lanka. In 2005 the national park was designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO, the fourth biosphere reserve in Sri Lanka. The national park is situated 245 kilometres (152 mi) southeast of Colombo.
The Sri Lanka scimitar babbler or Ceylon scimitar babbler is an Old World babbler. It is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka and was formerly treated as a subspecies of Indian scimitar babbler. The nominate form is found in the western part of wet hill regions of Sri Lanka, while race holdsworthi is found in the dry lowlands and eastern hills.
The Sri Lanka thrush or Sri Lanka scaly thrush is a member of the thrush family Turdidae. This bird is a non-migratory resident breeder found in south western rainforests of the island of Sri Lanka.
The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates is a list of highly endangered primate species selected and published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Primate Specialist Group (PSG), the International Primatological Society (IPS), Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC), and Bristol Zoological Society (BZS). The IUCN/SSC PSG worked with Conservation International (CI) to start the list in 2000, but in 2002, during the 19th Congress of the International Primatological Society, primatologists reviewed and debated the list, resulting in the 2002–2004 revision and the endorsement of the IPS. The publication was a joint project between the three conservation organizations until the 2012–2014 list when BZS was added as a publisher. The 2018–2020 list was the first time Conservation International was not among the publishers, replaced instead by GWC. The list has been revised every two years following the biannual Congress of the IPS. Starting with the 2004–2006 report, the title changed to "Primates in Peril: The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates". That same year, the list began to provide information about each species, including their conservation status and the threats they face in the wild. The species text is written in collaboration with experts from the field, with 60 people contributing to the 2006–2008 report and 85 people contributing to the 2008–2010 report. The 2004–2006 and 2006–2008 reports were published in the IUCN/SSC PSG journal Primate Conservation,, since then they have been published as independent publications.
Galway's Land National Park is a small 27 ha (0.10 sq mi) national park, consisting of dense montane forest. It is located within the city limits of Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka, approximately 2 km (1 mi) east of the city centre. It was formally declared as a wildlife sanctuary on 27 May 1938. The Galway's Land was elevated to national park status on 18 May 2006. The park was declared to conserve the montane ecosystems. Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka considers that Victoria Park in Nuwara Eliya and Galway's Land are two of the most significant birding sites in Sri Lanka. Galway's Land harbours about 20 rare migrant bird species and 30 native species. Apart from the avifauna, the park has valuable floral species of both native and foreign origin. Galway Forest Lodge is located close to the park.
↑ "BirdLife EBA Factsheet". BirdLife's online World Bird Database: the site for bird conservation. BirdLife International. 2003. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
↑ Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
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