Larger Arboreal Birds

At last - The elusive Sri Lankan Blue Magpie (Urocissa ornata) - At 6am, my first sighting on the very edge of Sinharaja Rainforest National Park (1016m/3332 ft above mean sea level). (1,2)

Female Black-rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense), at Melheim Resort, Lower Blackwood, Beragala, Haputale, Uva Province, (950m/3118ft), Sri Lanka. (1,2)

A pair of Indian Rollers (Coracias benghalensis) in Wasgamuwa National Park, North Central Province, Sri Lanka. (1,2)

Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis) on the Shangri-La Hotel Golf Course, Hambantota, Southern Province, Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan Blue Magpies (Urocissa ornata), at the edge of the Tropical, Cloud Rainforest, Sinharaja (1016m/3332ft) Southern Province, Sri Lanka. (1,2)

Brown-headed Barbet (Megalaima zeylanica), Gregory's Road, Colombo. (1,2)

Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala), Kandalama Lake, near Dambulla, North Central Province, Sri Lanka. (1,2)

Yellow-billed Babbler (Turdoides affinis taprobanus) - Also known as "The Seven Sisters" because they go around in small flocks continually calling to each other. (1,2)

White-browed Bulbul (pycnonotus luteolus insulae). A shy bird that prefers the cover of thick bushes & undergrowth. Vil Uyana, Sigiriya, North Central Province, Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan Blue Magpie (Urocissa ornata), Sinharaja Rainforest Edge (1016m/3332ft), Southern Province, Sri Lanka. (1,2)

Sinharaja Rainforest, Yellow-fronted Barbet (Megalaima flavifrons), (933m/3062ft), Samangala Jana Wijaya Chethiya Buddhist Temple. (1,2)

Crimson-backed Woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes stricklandi) on a telegraph pole, near Ella. (1,2)

Streak-throated Woodpecker (Picus xanthopygaeus) on the path to Little Adam's Peak near Ella Gap, Sri Lanka. Resident in "Up-country" tea plantations and open woodland. (1,2)

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At last - The elusive Sri Lankan Blue Magpie (Urocissa ornata)

Brown-headed Barbet (Megalaima zeylanica), Gregory's Road, Colombo. (1,2)

Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala), Kandalama Lake, near Dambulla, North Central Province, Sri Lanka. (1,2)

Sinharaja Rainforest, Yellow-fronted Barbet (Megalaima flavifrons), (933m/3062ft), Samangala Jana Wijaya Chethiya Buddhist Temple. (1,2)

A pair of Indian Rollers (Coracias benghalensis) in Wasgamuwa National Park, North Central Province, Sri Lanka. (1,2)

Crimson-backed Woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes stricklandi) on a telegraph pole, near Ella. (1,2)

Yellow-billed Babbler (Turdoides affinis taprobanus)

Female Black-rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense), at Melheim Resort, Lower Blackwood, Beragala, Haputale, Uva Province, (950m/3118ft), Sri Lanka. (1,2)

Streak-throated Woodpecker (Picus xanthopygaeus) on the path to Little Adam's Peak near Ella Gap, Sri Lanka. Resident in "Up-country" tea plantations and open woodland. (1,2)

Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops) taking a dust bath at dusk in Yala National Park, Southern Province, Sri Lanka. (1,2)

Sri Lankan Blue Magpie (Urocissa ornata), Sinharaja Rainforest Edge (1016m/3332ft). (1,2)

Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala), Kandalama Lake, near Dambulla, North Central Province, Sri Lanka. (1,2)

80 Sri Lankan Blue Magpie 3

Sri Lanka. So much more than you can see in a lifetime.

Bird References
1. Harrison J. A Field Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka, 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2011.
2. Henry G.M. A Guide to the Birds of Sri Lanka, 3rd edn. Colombo: Oxford University Press; 1998.