Indian Robin - Saxicoloides fucilata, Honiton Place home garden, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Yellow Bittern - Ixobrychus sinensis, Meepe, Sri Lanka.

Foraging on a paddy field on a sunny morning.

Little Egret - Egretta garzetta, Meepe, Sri Lanka.

Bird life of Sri Lanka

A much needed holiday - 

Please click on the web-link below:-

http://anynews.lk/s/9d7q 

Rose-ringed Parakeet - Psittacula krameri, Home garden, Honiton Place, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

This was a rare appearance in our home garden, to feed on the ripe plantain left on the bird feeder

Brown-headed Bee-eater and Cattle Egret, Bope, Sri Lanka.

Cattle Egrets - Bubulcus ibis on a paddy field near Bope, Sri Lanka.

Indian Darter - Anhinga melanogaster, on the paddy fields near Bope, Sri Lanka.

Indian Pitta - Pitta brachyura, Doctors quarters, BH, Avissawella, Sri Lanka, Dr. Eranga Perera.

This photo was taken by Dr. Eranga Perera, Consultant Surgeon, Base Hospital, Avissawella. The bird was in the back-garden of his quarters. The cry of this bird resembles like saying 'maatch kiyang'. The villagers in Sri Lanka have a story as follows:-
The 'Avichchiya' as the bird is called in Sinhalese, was the most beautiful bird in creation. The Pea-cock was literally naked and ugly. The Pea-cock wanted to go for a party of the birds and borrowed the beautiful feathers of the' Avichcha', who was  rather shy and avoided parties.The Pea-cock never returned the feathers. The now rather naked  'Avichchiya' is in hiding, but keeps shouting 'maath kiyang' meaning in Sinhalese, 'I will take you before the judges'.
It is a rather beautiful bird but very shy. We are alerted to its presence by its call early in the morning, when it raids the kitchen refuse, in the back garden.

White-browed Fan-tail - Rhypidura aureola, Honiton Place, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Purple-rumped Sun-bird female - Nectarinia zeylanica, Home garden, Honiton Place, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Common Myna - Acridotheres tristis, Home garden, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Feeding on the kernel of a cut King-coconut fruit.

Yellow Bitterns - Ixobrychus sinensis, Habarakada, on the Malabe to Panagoda road, Sri Lanka.

Black-headed Ibises - Threskiornis melanocephalus, Habarakada on the Malabe to Panagoda road, Sri Lanka.

Adolescent House Sparrow - Passer domesticus indicus, home garden, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Indian Robin - Saxicoloides fulicata, home garden, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Indian Paradise Flycatcher - Tersiphone paradisi paradisi, Rathnapura, Sri Lanka.

Asian paradise Fly-catcher - Terpsiphone paradisi ceylonensis, Habarana, Sri Lanka.

Yellow-wattled Lapwings -Vanellus malabaricus, Mannar, Sri Lanka.

Brown-headed Barbet - Megalaima zeylanica, eating a Papaw fruit, Rathnapura, Sri Lanka.

Photo taken on a Sony Mavica digital camera with 20x zoom in 2005.

Little Egret - Egrettta garzetta, Mannar, Sri Lanka.

Indian Robin, juvenile, female? - Saxicoloides fulicata, home garden, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

White-throated Kingfisher - Halcyon smyrnensis, home garden, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Asian Open-bill - Anastomus oscitans, Mannar, Sri Lanka.

Common Hoopoe - Upopa epops, Hospital lawn, Mannar, Sri Lanka.

A commonly seen bird in the 1950s it is a rarity now.

White-throated Kingfisher - Halcyon smyrnensis, home garden, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

After laying its eggs in a hole in the wall of an embankment, the parents would be constantly on the watch for predators. I have seen them pecking at the head of a much larger ''Monitor Lizard' when the latter went close to the eggs. The parents feed the young ones till they are fit to fly. After about a week of flying they part ways. Even though it is called  a King-fisher this type exists by eating moths, dragonflies, grasshoppers etc.