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Sri Lanka is a tropical island situated close to the southern tip of India. The bird life of Sri Lanka is very rich for its size and more than 500 species have been recorded. In addition to the many resident birds, a considerable number of migratory species winter in the country to escape their northern breeding grounds.
35 species are confirmed as endemic,[1] the latest addition being the Sri Lanka shama, which previously considered as a subspecies of the white-rumped shama. The other resident species are also found in the nearby Indian mainland, but over 80 have developed distinct Sri Lankan races. Some of these races are very different in their plumage characteristics from the related forms in India. 26 species are globally threatened.
Bird distribution in Sri Lanka is largely determined by its climatic zones. The dry zone is largest of the three, covering more than half of the island, with a prolonged dry and hot period and only one monsoon (the north east monsoon from October to January).
The wet zone, with two monsoons, is in the south western quarter of the island, where the few remaining rain forests are found and humidity is high.
The central hill zone rises to over 2450 m (8-10,000 ft) and has a cool temperate climate. Most of the 34 endemic species are confined to the wet and the hill zones, with only a few extending into the dry zone as well.
Recent updates and sighting information can be obtained through the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka website. The following list is prepared according to An Illustrated Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka on 2010 by Sarath Kotagama and Gamini Ratnavira. Supplemental updates and taxonomy follow The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 2022 edition.[2][3]
The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. The commonly occurring native species do not fall into any of these categories.
- (A) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Sri Lanka
- (E) Endemic - a species native or restricted to Sri Lanka
- (I) Introduced - a species introduced to Sri Lanka as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions
- ^ Manakadan, Ranjit; Khan, Asif N. (March 2020). "Birds of the Indian Subcontinent ─ In a Nutshell". Buceros. 24 (2 & 3). BNHS-ENVIS.
- ^ Lepage, Denis. "Checklist of Birds of Sri Lanka". Bird Checklists of the World. Avibase. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- ^ "Birds of Sri Lanka, the complete checklist". WICE (World Institute for Conservation and Environment). Retrieved 13 August 2021.