'Philippine Shrike' - Lanius cristatus licionensis, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

'Common Kingfisher' - Alcedo atthis, Aswaththe, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

'White-bellied Drongo' - Dicrurus caerulescens, Rathnapura, Sri Lanka.

Picture by Dr.Charaka Wickremasinghe.

Open-bills, Grey Heron and Egret, Amithirigala, Sri Lanka.

'Brown-headed Barbet' - Megalaima zeylanica, Rathnapura, Sri Lanka.

The 'Barbet' relishes the unripe berries of the black pepper tree as you see in this picture.

Pictures taken by Dr.Charaka Wickremasinghe.

'Red-wattled Lapwing' - Vanellus indicus, Thihariya, Sri Lanka.

Domestic Fowl, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

So much of imported strains and interbreeding producing these results.

'Oriental Magpie Robin' - Copsychus saularis, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

A very common bird. This bird is the first to start singing at dawn. It has quite a few variations in tune in its singing. 'Polkichchaa' - S, 'Karikkuruvi' - T.

Female 'Black Robin' - Saxicoloides fulicata, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

'Black-hooded Oriole' - Oriolus xanthornus, Avissawella, Sri Lanka

This beautiful bird is known as 'Kaha kurulla' (yellow-bird) in Sinhalese and 'Mambala kuruvi' (Mango-bird) in Tamil. It has a cry as they say in Sinhalese 'Loku putha ko' (Where is the elder son). They relish eating the mango fruit.

Asian Paradise Fly-catcher - Trepsiphone paradisi, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

This small bird because of its colour which is similar to the colour of a Buddhist Monk's robe is called 'Sivuru hora' - Stealer of the monk's robe, in Sinhalese. It is a very quick and shy bird.
Videos:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=som3Cn9Q74s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcb1w5kYK3g

'Greater Coucal' - Centropus sinensis, Avissawella, Sri Lanka

A predator, kills all the garden snails but it also plucks and eats fledgling chicks from birds' nests, just when they are about to fly.
Video:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fgApAOD0UI

'White-throated King-fisher' -Halcyon smyrnensis, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Despite its name 'King-fisher' this bird subsists mainly on lizards, dragonflies and other small insects. It fishes from the fishponds in the garden.

Video:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKS2izRXVNs

'Yellow-billed Babbler' - Turdoides affinis taprobanus, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

The noisiest group of birds in the garden they forage in groups and are also called 'Seven sisters'. These and the squirrels keep a look-out for cats and other predators and signal each other on the latters presence in the vicinity.

Video:-

http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit?ns=1&video_id=21jMt-OqyzQ

Scaly-breasted and Black-headed Munias, foraging together, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

These two types of Munias are often seen together.

Cormorants and lotus leaves, Habarana, Sri Lanka.

 Cormorants resting on a tree trunk over a lotus pond, Habarana Lodge, Habarana.

Lotus leaf holding a ring of water, Habarana.

A 'Red-vented Bulbul', Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

The commonest bird next to the crow in Avissawella. Very plucky and playful. If a ripe banana fruit is left uncovered on a table they will cry with glee and start pecking into it leaving the mate as a look out. They nest on trees. Predators like the cat-snake ('Garandiya' S- 'Saarai' T) and the Coucal ('Aeti kukula' S-'Senpadaham' T) occasionally eat the young ones. The lower picture shows a fledgling learning to fly, a time when they are most vulnerable to predators..

Red-vented Bulbul eating a slice of Papaw , Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

'Companions' - I saw this couple at Yala, Sri Lanka.

I saw this couple a 'Black-headed Ibis' and an 'Open-bill' keeping very close company at Yala, Sri Lanka.

'Brown-headed Barbet' - Megalaima zeylanica, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Picture taken in our home garden, Avissawella, Sri Lanka. These birds are attracted by the bight yellow colors of the 'papaw' and banana fruits. When the fruits are placed in the feed box in our garden, they eye the food from a tree top close by and make a loud cry repeated many times. Then they quietly swoop down and consume the fruit in absolute silence. Their cry is the most frequently heard cry in the jungle. This interferes with recordings of 'bird-crys' of other birds.

'White-throated Kingfisher, Yala, Sri Lanka.

Brahminy Kite and an elephant, Yala, Sri Lanka.

Scene inside the Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

'Brahminy Kites', Yala, Sri Lanka.

Pictures taken inside the Yala National Park, Sri Lanka. It looked like the parents and their off spring, still in juvenile plumage were perched on a tree overlooking a pond. Junior might have been undergoing training in hunting.

A 'Bittern' and a 'Cormorant', Yala, Sri Lanka.

Picture taken inside the Yala National Park, Sri Lanka.

'Rose-ringed Parakeet' - Psittacula krameri, Yala, Sri Lanka.

II took these pictures inside the Yala National Park, Sri Lanka.

Peahens and chicks, Yala, Sri Lanka.

'Crested Serpent Eagle' - Spilornis cheela spilogaster, Maligawila, Sri Lanka.

I spotted this eagle on the branch of a tree in the foliage near the Maligawila Buddha statue at Butthala, Sri Lanka. It was stationary for quite sometime and was not disturbed by the passage of people close by.
Video:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?edit=vd&v=x05XdZ6irpQ