English: Red-faced malkohaBinomial Name: Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalusSinhala: වත රතු මල්කොහා[Watha rathu malkoha]Red-faced malkoha is an endemic bird found in dense forests of Sri Lanka. Sinharaja Forest Reserve is considered as the popular place to observe this bird. Most of the time this bird become a member of mixed-species feeding flocks of Sinharaja forest. It is shy and can be seen in ...
English : Temple Monkey / Toque monkeyBinomial Name : Macaca sinicaSinhala : රිළවා / Rilawa Endemic species of monkeys living in Sri Lanka. Behaves in troops. Lives in forests and villages where elevation above the sea level is lesser than 1800meters. Can be seen three sub species based on environmental zone of living.
English: Lieftinck's SpriteBinomial: Archibasis lieftinckiArchibasis lieftincki is an endemic species of damselflies found in Sri Lanka. It is a recently described (Conniff & Bedjanič, 2013) species restricted to the wet zone forests. They can be seen perching on the vegetation in the margins of rivlets of the forest. In a research done by Amila Sumanapala and others (Sumanapala, Podduwage, and ...
English: Indian blue robin Binomial Name:Luscinia brunnea Sinhala: ඉන්දු නිල් සිටිකිච්චා[Indu nil sitikichcha]Luscinia brunnea is a migratory species of bird that can be seen mostly in highland forests of Sri Lanka. They breed in Himalayan mountain range and visit Sri Lanka during winter. This bird feeds on insects.
English: Pea blueBinomial Name: Lampides boeticusPea blue is a butterfly belongs to Lycaenidae family and population of this butterfly has been distributed in many parts of the world including Sri Lanka. This photo was taken in Horton National Park close to Ulex europaeus shrubs which is one of this butterfly's host plants.
English: Shaw’s Wolf SnakeBinomial Name: Lycodon striatus sinhaleyusSinhala: ඉරි කරවලා/කබර රදනකයා[Iri karawala/Kabara radanakaya]Shaw’s Wolf Snake is a non venomous colubrid snake found in Sri Lanka. Sub species sinhaleyus is endemic. Other sub species of this snake has been distributed in other Asian countries. More common in wet-zone compared to dry zone. Feed on geckos. Most of the time it is ...
MaleEnglish: Jungle Threadtail Binomial Name: Elattoneura caesiaJungle Threadtail is a rare and endemic damselfly of Sri Lanka. Mostly restricted to wet zone. Above photo was taken close to a stream inside a rain forest. Male can be identified by dark colored body and light blue pruinescence on the thorax. IUCN Red List status of this damselfly is 'Endangered'.
Binomial Name: Spiranthes sinensis English: Chinese SpiranthesSpiranthes sinensis is a wildly distributed species of wild orchid found in many parts of the world including Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka it has been distributed in montane and sub-montane zone. Above photographs were taken in December.
FemaleMaleEnglish : Asian KoelBinomial Name : Eudynamys scolopaceus Sinhala : කොවුලා [Kowla]Resident breeder of Sri Lanka and they have been distributed throughout the Asia. Their Male and female look different. Being a brood parasite, this bird lay eggs in nests of other birds such as crows. New born young are raised by foster parents. In Sri Lanka call of this ...
English: Common PierrotBinomial Name: Castalius rosimonCommon Pierrot is a widely distributed butterfly found in South Asian countries. It can be found in all environmental regions of Sri Lanka except central highlands.
English : Variable Flutterer Binomial Name : Rhyothemis variegataA common butterfly found in South Asia including Sri Lanka. Lives in low country. Still it can be seen even in Colombo district close to water bodies. Can be identified easily by back and amber color markings of wings.
English : One-spot Grass Yellow Binomial Name : Eurema andersoni ormistoniAn endemic butterfly of Sri Lanka. Can be seen in wettest areas in hill country and wet zone of low country. It has rounder wings compared to other grass yellow butterflies and a one spot at the base of fore wing cell.
Appears on 1000 rupee noteEnglish : White Four-ringBinomial Name : Ypthima ceylonicaWhite Four-ring is a butterfly lives in India and all parts of Sri Lanka. It can be seen in home gardens and grasslands. Y. ceylonica appears on the new 1000 rupee currency note of Sri Lanka.
Sinhala : වනරාජ [Wanaraja]Binomial Name : Anoectochilus regalisAn endemic orchid that grows in lowland wet zone and submontane zone. It is used in traditional medicine for treating snake bites.
MaleFemaleEnglish : Indian robin / Black Robin Binomial Name : Saxicoloides fulicatusSinahala : ඉන්දු කළුකිච්චා[Indu kalukichcha]Indian robin is a very common bird of Sri Lanka which can be seen in all climatic zones. Diferent populations of this bird has been named based on their plumbage differences. They have been distributed across the Indian subcontinent. Male of this bird is dark ...
English : Strobilanthes Binomial Name : Strobilanthes viscosaSinhala : නෙළු [Nelu]An endemic species of Strobilanthes that grows in highlands of Sri Lanka.Not like other species of Strabilanthes, S. viscosa is said to be flowering annually. Strobilanthes viscosa comes in two varieties. Var. viscosa that grows in high altitude mountain zones and variant digitalis grows in lower elevations.
Usually hangs upside down by feetEnglish : Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot / Ceylon Lorikeet Binomial Name : Loriculus beryllinusSinhala : ගිරාමලිත්තා / පොල් ගිරවා [Gira Maliththa / Pol Girawa]An endemic bird of Sri Lanka that can be seen in low country and hill country elevation above the sea level is lesser than 1200 meters. This strictly arboreal bird feeds on ...
English: Green’s GemBinomial: Libellago greeniAn endemic and common damselfly found in lowland and hill country of Sri Lanka. Male can be identified easily by bright orange colored abdomen. Above photographs were taken close to a rever at Gilimale forest reserve in April. Reference: Dragonflies of Sri Lanka - Matjaž Bedjaniè, Karen Conniff, Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne
English: Sri Lanka blue magpie/Ceylon magpieBinomial Name: Urocissa ornataSinhala: කැහිබෙල්ලා/කන්කෑරැස්සා[Kehibella/Kankeressa]An endemic bird of Sri Lanka. Its population has been restricted to the undisturbed wet-zone forests. Live as groups of six to seven members. They are carnivorous and mainly feed on frogs, lizards and insects. But sometimes feed on fruits. Common in wet-zone dense forests such as Sinharaja. ...
FemaleFemaleEnglish : Black-Tipped Flashwing Binomial name : Vestalis apicalis nigrescensBlack-Tipped Flashwing is an endemic damselfly living in Sri Lanka that belongs to Chlorocyphidae family. They have green colored body as an adaptation for living environment. Both sexes have the color of metallic green and male can be identified by the black color tip of the wings. They can be seen ...
