Layard’s Parakeet has blue grey head and mantle, emerald green collar and green underparts. Has a short blue tail with yellowish tip.  Bill of the male is coral red while the duller female has it blackish.  A rather uncommon parakeet which mainly inhabits forested areas of the wet zone.  Smaller numbers occur in the drier…

An unmistakable large bird, with crimson red face, strong pale green bill, white underparts with black breast.  The long graduated tail has white edges and tip.  Dark upperparts has a green sheen.  Female’s iris is white while the male has it brown.  A rare forest bird, mainly inhabiting large rain forests at lower elevations of…

This coucal is slightly smaller than the more common Greater Coucal from which it can be readily distinguished by its large pale-green bill.  The wings are darker chestnut than the Greater Coucal’s.  Has a purple sheen on the head and neck.  Sexes alike.  A rare forest loving bird that inhabits the dense under growth of…

A small rufescent scops-owl with a short tail.  No noticeable ear tufts.  Not so distinct facial disk.  Upperparts are almost completely rufous brown with dark markings.  Under parts are paler rufous with dark triangular spots.  Irides are yellowish in the female and orangish in the male.  This newly described owl has so far been located…

This handsome little owl with its chestnut back, scapulars and wing-coverts has its white underparts marked with blackish shaft-streaks with bars on flanks.  Irides bright yellow and feet pale yellow.  Sexes alike.  A fairly common owlet in the wet zone but does not ascend higher hills.  Lives in pairs and often can be heard and…

Of the two Hornbills occurring in Sri Lanka, this one has its underparts white while the upper parts are grey with a brown crown.  The long grey tail with white tip tend to develop white outer edges with age.  Sexes alike except for the bill of the female is dull black with cream cutting edges. …

This barbet has its front/forehead yellow and also a yellow malar stripe, blue face and throat, scaled appearance to breast, and dark legs and feet.  Sexes alike.  Mainly a bird of the hills up to about 2000 metres, but found in many parts of the low-country wet zone and in some dry zone districts to…

This is a small barbet with bright green upper parts, unstreaked green belly and flanks, orange-yellow face and throat-patches, and very small scarlet breast-spot.  These features distinguish it from the Coppersmith.   Also it has blue running down side of head and upper breast.  Sexes alike.  This is a very common bird in cultivated or openly-wooded…

Although practically the same size as the Black-rumped Flameback, this handsome Woodpecker looks slightly bigger and can be easily distinguished from that species by its crimson back and wings, longer and ivory colour beak, and the different call note.  This is a forest loving species, widely distributed almost throughout the forested parts of the island…

This rather heavily built swallow with its reddish chestnut underparts and rump, is found throughout the lowlands and the hills to 1000 to 1300 metres.  Sexes alike.  It prefers open country and can be seen in pairs or small scattered flocks.  Has a rather slow flight with regular sailing not great height from the ground.…