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Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot / Ceylon Lorikeet
(ශ්‍රි ලංකා ගිරාමලිත්තා)
Loriculus beryllinus

I was on the roof of my ancestral house in Bulathsinhala waiting for some bird to show up for more than an hour. Just as I was about to give up, this amazing beauty showed up. I didn't know that she is endemic at the time. What joy when I finally checked what I photographed.

The last picture is from Sinharaja rain forest. Look at the beautiful colours and form. :)

Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot
Alexandrine Parakeet
(ලබු ගිරවා)
Psittacula eupatria

The first 2 photographs were taken inside the Dehiwala Zoo birds enclosure.

3rd and 4th photos are from the outskirts of the Yala National Park.

Alexandrine Parakeet
Rose-ringed Parakeet
(රන ගිරවා)
Psittacula krameri

This magnificent parrot is quite common in Sri Lanka. I took images 1 and 2 at the Dehiwala zoo birds enclosure where she gave me a lovely display of his beauty.

 

Image 3 was taken on the road from Mannar to Jaffna. A whole bunch of them were on the ground feeding. I wish I could have taken more pictures.

Images 7 to 11 are of a male who came to feed on star fruits in my garden at Nawala. Image 12 and 13 were taken around Thalangama lake.

Rose-ringed Parakeet
Plum-headed Parakeet / Blossom-headed Parakeet (පාන්ඬු ගිරවා)
Psittacula cyanocephala

This solitary image is the only one I was able to capture of this beauty. Photographed at a distance on the outskirts of Sinharaja rainforest.

Plum-headed Parakeet
Layard's Parakeet
(ශ්‍රි ලංකා අලු ගිරවා)
Psittacula calthrapae

I took the 1st photograph inside the Dehiwala Zoo birds enclosure. The other photos at the outskirts of Sinharaja rain forest where a group of them were feeding on a fruit tree. They gave me a superb display of their colours and abilities.

Endemic to Sri Lanka, just look at the explosion of colours at certain angles.

Layard's Parakeet
Red-faced Malkoha
(ශ්‍රි ලංකා වතරතු මල්කොහා)
Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus

Seen on the outskirts of the Sinharaja rainforest, this rare and endemic beauty is a price capture. Such a beautiful bird, he was notoriously hard to take a picture as he stayed mostly inside the bush and was jumping around so quickly. 

Red-faced Malkoha
Blue-faced Malkoha
(වතනිල් මල්කොහා)
Phaenicophaeus viridirostris

I came across this magnificent bird first in Kuchchaveli where they were hanging out in pairs. The radiant blue patch is a work of art. They have been notoriously difficult to photograph as they always hide among the bushes.

 

Image 3 is from Chundikulam national park. Again, I could manage only glimpses of it.

Blue-faced Malkoha
Asian Koel / Indian Koel
(කොවුලා)
Eudynamys scolopaceus

The Asian Koel is a familiar face during April (Awrudu season). This Female was seen near the waterhole at the Dehiwala zoo.

 

Image 2 is from Kuchchaveli and I love the tree he was sitting on.

 

Last images are of male eating fruit at the hotel I operate in Gampaha. He is a common site in this fruit tree.

Asian Koel
Sirkeer Malkoha / Sirkeer
(පතන් මල්කොහා)
Taccocua leschenaultii

Seen at Udawalawe National Park and photographed with my point-and-shoot. This species is a bit rare and I hope I will see them again for a better photo opportunity.

Sirkeer Malkoha
Green-billed Coucal
(ශ්‍රි ලංකා බට ඇටි-කුකුලා)
Centropus chlororhynchos

Seen at Sinharaja forest just after a few morning showers. He was catching the first rays of sunlight. Such a majestic bird who is endemic to Sri Lanka.

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Green-billed Coucal
Greater Coucal / Common Coucal
(ඇටි-කුකුලා)
Centropus sinensis

First photographed in Kuchchaveli on a bright morning, this amazing bird reminded me of a picture of a daemon with its eyes. In my childhood, I used to see them very frequently dealing with slugs in the garden. They can be seen even in the heart of the city in Colombo if there is a bit of garden and if there are snails around.

Image 3 and 4 from Bundala National Park.

Image 5 from Baddagana wetland park in Kotte.

Greater Coucal

© 2019-20 Nirmal Kumarasiri

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