List of endemic birds of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is home to 34 endemic bird species.^[1] The number of bird species recorded in the island is 492 of which 219 are breeding residents. BirdLife International recognize Sri Lanka as one of the world's Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs).^[2] The number of endemic species has changed over the years.^[3] This is largely due to "close taxonomic revisions". The number of endemic species has fluctuated from 20 to 47.^[1] Since 1977 the number has settled at around 21. The figure was increased to 23 in 1990. Many authorities have accepted this figure since then.^[3] Wijesinghe published A Checklist of the Birds of Sri Lanka in 1994 which considered the addition of three more species, but this move did not receive widespread recognition because its rationale was not in keeping with rigorous taxonomic practice. Subsequent publications on the avifauna of Sri Lanka and the South Asia region have not listed these three as endemics. However, within some Sri Lankan circles considered the endemics proposed by Wijesinghe as acceptable. This may be due to an over-enthusiasm in increasing endemic numbers to create a better ornithological image and increase the demand for commercial birdwatching.^[3]

In 2004, Deepal Warakagoda and Pamela C. Rasmussen described a new bird species, the Serendib scops-owl (Otus thilohofmanni). This is the first new bird species discovered in Sri Lanka since 1868, when the Sri Lanka whistling-thrush (Myophonus blighi) was described.^[4] There are some proposals for species level taxonomic revisions, and therefore endemic status in Sri Lanka.^[1] The country prefix "Sri Lanka" in common names is normally restricted to endemic species. However Sarath Kotagama et al. (2006) disagree with Sibley and Monroe (1990) on the use of "Ceylon" in common species' names, suggesting instead that they should reflect the change of the official English name of the island from Ceylon to name Sri Lanka.^[3] Sibley and Monroe's rationale was "Ceylon" is the geographical unit and "Sri Lanka" is the country which occupies the island. The geographical name is normally used for animal ranges, for example Madagascar is used rather than its nation, the Malagasy Republic."^[3]

Change in number of endemics

Year	Number of species	Reference	Comment
1872	37	Holdsworth – Catalogue of Birds found in Ceylon
1880	47	Legge – A History of Birds of Ceylon	Included 17 species in the present list
1931	25	Wait – Manual of Birds of Ceylon	Excluded the red faced-malkoha
1944	22	Whistler – Avifaunal Survey of Ceylon
1946	20	Ripley – Comments to Endemic Birds of Ceylon	Grey hornbill, rufous babbler and red-faced malkoha were excluded
1952	21	Phillips – Revised Checklist of Birds of Ceylon	Red-faced malkoha and Ceylon grackle included
1975	20	Phillips – Revised Checklist of Birds of Ceylon	Black capped bulbul excluded
1977	21	Flemming – Notes On Endemic Birds of Ceylon	Rufous babbler included
1978	21	Phillips – Revised Checklist of Birds of Ceylon
1990	23+1	Sibley & Monroe – Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World	Crimson fronted barbet suggested as endemic
1994	23+1	Kotagama and Fernando – A Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka	Follow Sibley and Monroe
1994	23+3	Wijesinghe – A Checklist of the Birds of Sri Lanka	Three species are suggested as endemic
1996	23+3	Inskip et al. – An Annotated Checklist of the Birds of the Oriental Region	Follow Sibley and Monroe refers to Wijesinghe
1998	23	Grimmett et al. – Birds of the Indian Subcontinent
1999	23	Harrison – A Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka
2013	26	Kotagama – A Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka (revised)	Crimson-fronted barbet, pompadour green pigeon and black-capped bulbul included

Source: Kotagama et al., 2013

Endemic species

Species which are validly published are considered as definitive endemic species.^[1] Others are included with question marks.

Low vulnerability		Threatened
Least concern   Near threatened		Vulnerable   Endangered

Common name	Binomial	Family	Habitat, abundance, distribution	Status
Order Galliformes
Sri Lanka spurfowl	Galloperdix bicalcarata (Forster, 1781)	Phasianidae	Humid forests. Common. All zones, except northern region.^[5]	^[6]
Sri Lanka junglefowl	Gallus lafayetii Lesson, 1831	Phasianidae	Forests, scrub jungles. Very common. All zones.^[5]	^[7]
Order Columbiformes
Sri Lanka wood pigeon	Columba torringtoni (Blyth & Kelaart, 1853)	Columbidae	Forests, gardens. Restricted range. Hill country. Descends to low country wet zone during fruiting seasons.^[8]	^[9]
Sri Lanka green pigeon	Treron pompadora	Columbidae		^[10]
Order Psittaciformes
Sri Lanka hanging parrot	Loriculus beryllinus (Forster, 1781)	Psittacidae	Forests, gardens. Common. All zones. More common in wet zone.^[11]	^[12]
Layard's parakeet	Psittacula calthrapae (Blyth, 1849)	Psittacidae	Forests, gardens. Common. Wet zone and some riparian forests dry zone.^[11]	^[13]
Order Cuculiformes
Red-faced malkoha	Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus (Pennant, 1769)	Cuculidae	Forests. Confined to undisturbed forest areas in the wet zone and riparian forests of the dry zone. Restricted location. All zones.^[14]	^[15]
Green-billed coucal	Centropus chlororhynchos Blyth, 1849	Cuculidae	Undisturbed forests. Associated with bamboo and cane rushes. Restricted range. Low country wet zone and wet foothills.^[16]	^[17]
Order Strigiformes
Sri Lanka Serendib scops-owl	Otus thilohoffmanni Warakagoda & Rasmussen, 2004	Strigidae	Restricted range. Low country wet zone.^[18]	^[19]
Sri Lanka chestnut-backed owlet	Glaucidium castanotum (Blyth, 1846)	Strigidae	Forests, scrubs, cultivations. Restricted range. Wet zone and hill country.^[18]	^[20]
Order Bucerotiformes
Sri Lanka grey hornbill	Ocyceros gingalensis (Shaw, 1811)	Bucerotidae	Forests, gardens. Very common. All zones. Most plentiful in dry zone.^[21]	^[22]
Order Piciformes
Crimson-backed flameback?	Chrysocolaptes stricklandi (Layard, 1854)	Picidae		^[23]
Red-backed flameback?	Dinopium psarodes (Lichtenstein, 1793)	Picidae		^[24]
Yellow-fronted barbet	Megalaima flavifrons (Cuvier, 1816)	Megalaimidae	Forests, home gardens. Very common. More common in hill country.^[21]	^[25]
Crimson-fronted barbet	Megalaima rubricapillus	Megalaimidae		^[26]
Order Passeriformes
Suborder Passeri: Songbirds
Sri Lanka magpie	Urocissa ornata (Wagler, 1829)	Corvidae	Undisturbed forests. Restricted range. Wet zone.^[27]	^[28]
Black-capped bulbul	Pycnonotus melanicterus	Pycnonotidae		^[29]
Sri Lanka yellow-eared bulbul	Pycnonotus penicillatus Blyth, 1851	Pycnonotidae	Forests, gardens close to forest, Common. Hill country.^[30]	^[31]
Sri Lanka drongo?	Dicrurus lophorinus (Viellot, 1817)	Dicruridae		^[32]
Sri Lanka bush-warbler	Bradypterus palliseri (Blyth, 1851)	Sylviidae	Forest undergrowth. Restricted range. Hill country.^[33]	^[34]
Sri Lanka brown-capped babbler	Pellorneum fuscocapillus (Blyth, 1849)	Timaliidae	Forests, scrub jungles. Ground level. Common. All zones.^[35]	^[36]
Sri Lanka scimitar-babbler	Pomatorhinus melanurus Blyth, 1847	Timaliidae	Forests understory. Common. All zones.^[35]	^[37]
Sri Lanka orange-billed babbler	Turdoides rufescens (Blyth, 1847)	Timaliidae	Forests. Common. Wet zone. Less in hill country.^[35]	^[38]
Sri Lanka ashy-headed laughingthrush	Garrulax cinereifrons Blyth, 1851	Timaliidae	Forests, mainly in understory and on the ground. Common. Wet zone. More in low country.^[35]	^[39]
Sri Lanka white-eye	Zosterops ceylonensis Holdsworth, 1872	Zosteropidae	Forests, gardens, cultivations. Very common. Hill country.^[40]	^[41]
Sri Lanka myna	Gracula ptilogenys Blyth, 1846	Sturnidae	Forests. Common. Wet zone. More common in Low country.^[42]	^[43]
Sri Lanka white-faced starling	Sturnus albofrontatus (Layard, 1854)	Sturnidae	Forests. Restricted range. Wet zone. Less in hill country.^[42]	^[44]
Sri Lanka whistling-thrush	Myophonus blighi (Holdsworth, 1872)	Turdidae	Undisturbed montane forests, streams. Restricted range. Hill country.^[45]	^[46]
Sri Lanka spot-winged thrush	Zoothera spiloptera (Blyth, 1847)	Turdidae	Humid forest undergrowth. Common. All zones. More common in wet zone.^[45]	^[47]
Sri Lanka scaly thrush	Zoothera imbricata Layard, 1854	Turdidae	Forests undergrowth. Common. Hill country, some locations in low country wet zone.^[45]	^[48]
Sri Lanka dull-blue flycatcher	Eumyias sordida (Walden, 1870)	Muscicapidae	Forests, home gardens, well-wooded ravines. Hill country. Also in humid locations in the low country wet zone.^[49]	^[50]
Sri Lanka white-throated flowerpecker	Dicaeum vincens (Sclater, 1872)	Dicaeidae	Forests. Common. Low country wet zone and lower hill country.^[40]	^[51]
Sri Lanka woodshrike?	Tephrodornis affinis (Blyth, 1847)	Vangidae		^[52]
Sri Lanka swallow?	Cecropis hyperythra (Blyth, 1849)	Hirundinidae	A variety of open country habitats in both the lowlands and foothills in Sri Lanka, including farm fields and lightly wooded areas.^[53]	^[54]

Source: Kotagama, 2013

Proposed endemics

Rasmussen and Anderton (2005) proposed a number of species splits. Those that would create new endemic species for Sri Lanka are listed below along with their present taxon.^[1]

Current species	Binomial	Proposed splitting	Proposed binomial	Family	Status
Order Piciformes
Greater flameback	Chrysocolaptes lucidus	Crimson-backed flameback	Chrysocolaptes stricklandi	Picidae	^[55]
Order Passeriformes
Suborder Passeri: songbirds
Common woodshrike	Tephrodornis pondicerianus	Sri Lanka woodshrike	Tephrodornis affinis	Vangidae	^[56]
Greater racket-tailed drongo	Dicrurus paradiseus	Sri Lanka drongo	Dicrurus lophorinus	Dicruridae	^[57]
Red-rumped swallow	Cecropis daurica	Sri Lanka swallow	Cecropis hyperythra	Hirundinidae	^[58]

Source: Kaluthota and Kotagama, 2009

References

1. Kaluthota, C. D.; Kotagama, S.W. (October 2009). "Revised Avifaunal List of Sri Lanka" (PDF). Occasional Paper No.02. Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka.
2. "BirdLife EBA Factsheet". BirdLife's online World Bird Database: the site for bird conservation. BirdLife International. 2003. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
3. Kotagama, Sarath W.; De Silva, Rex I.; Wijayasinha, Athula S.; Abeygunawardane, Vathsala (2006). "Avifaunal List of Sri Lanka". In Bambaradeniya, C.N.B. (ed.). Fauna of Sri Lanka: Status of Taxonomy, Research and Conservation (PDF). The World Conservation Union, Colombo, Sri Lanka & Government of Sri Lanka. pp. 164–203. ISBN 955-8177-51-2.
4. Warakagoda, Deepal (January–February 2001). (PDF). CBCN. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 September 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
5. Kotagama 2006: p. 44
6. BirdLife International (2009). "Galloperdix bicalcarata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
7. BirdLife International (2009). "Gallus lafayetii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
8. Kotagama 2006: p. 62
9. BirdLife International (2008). "Columba torringtoniae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
10. BirdLife International (2009). "Treron pompadora". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
11. Kotagama 2006: p. 54
12. BirdLife International (2009). "Loriculus beryllinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
13. BirdLife International (2009). "Psittacula calthropae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
14. Kotagama 2006: p. 52
15. BirdLife International (2008). "Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
16. Kotagama 2006: p. 50
17. BirdLife International (2008). "Centropus chlororhynchus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
18. Kotagama 2006: p. 58
19. BirdLife International (2008). "Otus thilohoffmanni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
20. BirdLife International (2008). "Glaucidium castanonotum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
21. Kotagama 2006: p. 48
22. BirdLife International (2009). "Ocyceros gingalensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
23. International), BirdLife International (BirdLife (1 October 2016). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Chrysocolaptes stricklandi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
24. International), BirdLife International (BirdLife (1 October 2016). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Dinopium psarodes". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
25. BirdLife International (2009). "Megalaima flavifrons". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
26. BirdLife International (2009). "Megalaima rubricapillus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
27. Kotagama 2006: p. 72
28. BirdLife International (2008). "Urocissa ornata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
29. BirdLife International (2009). "Pycnonotus melanicterus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
30. Kotagama 2006: p. 82
31. BirdLife International (2008). "Pycnonotus penicillatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
32. International), BirdLife International (BirdLife (1 October 2016). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Dicrurus lophorinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
33. Kotagama 2006: p. 84
34. BirdLife International (2008). "Bradypterus palliseri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
35. Kotagama 2006: p. 90
36. BirdLife International (2009). "Pellorneum fuscocapillus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
37. BirdLife International (2009). "Pomatorhinus melanurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
38. BirdLife International (2008). "Turdoides rufescens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
39. BirdLife International (2008). "Garrulax cinereifrons". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
40. Kotagama 2006: p. 88
41. BirdLife International (2009). "Zosterops ceylonensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
42. Kotagama 2006: p. 80
43. BirdLife International (2008). "Gracula ptilogenys". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
44. BirdLife International (2008). "Sturnus albofrontatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
45. Kotagama 2006: p. 78
46. BirdLife International (2008). "Myophonus blighi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
47. BirdLife International (2008). "Zoothera spiloptera". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
48. BirdLife International (2008). "Zoothera imbricata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
49. Kotagama 2006: p. 76
50. BirdLife International (2008). "Eumyias sordidus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
51. BirdLife International (2008). "Dicaeum vincens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
52. International), BirdLife International (BirdLife (1 October 2016). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Tephrodornis affinis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
53. "Sri Lanka Swallow – eBird". ebird.org. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
54. International), BirdLife International (BirdLife (1 October 2016). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Cecropis hyperythra". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
55. BirdLife International (2009). "Chrysocolaptes lucidus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
56. BirdLife International (2009). "Tephrodornis pondicerianus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
57. BirdLife International (2009). "Dicrurus paradiseus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.old-form url
58. International), BirdLife International (BirdLife (1 October 2016). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Cecropis daurica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 6 October 2020.

Literature cited

• Kotagama, Sarath (2006). Common, Endemic & Threatened Birds in Sri Lanka. Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka. p. 125. ISBN 955-8576-19-0.