Highlights of biodiversity
Fauna & Flora
Birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and trees of the Sinharaja rainforest. Filter by group, or open any species for notes.
Species guide
Life in an ancient rainforest
From specialty owls and endemic lizards to towering dipterocarps. Photos are placeholders until the lodge’s own photography is added.
Endemic
Glaucidium castanotum
A small owl that hunts by day as well as by night, often found close to the lodge.
Forest edge and tall trees
Endemic
Otus thilohoffmanni
Only described to science in 2004, this tiny owl is a prize for any visiting birder.
Dense lowland rainforest understorey
Specialty
Batrachostomus moniliger
Perfectly camouflaged pairs roost by day in the undergrowth; guides know where to look.
Dense, shaded thickets
Resident
Bubo nipalensis
A huge forest owl, linked in Sri Lankan folklore to the eerie call of the “devil bird”.
Mature forest
Endemic
Urocissa ornata
The emblem of Sinharaja: noisy family groups that often travel with mixed flocks.
Rainforest canopy and edges
Endemic
Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus
A shy, threatened canopy cuckoo and one of the most wanted birds in Sri Lanka.
Tall forest canopy
Endemic
Centropus chlororhynchos
One of Sri Lanka’s rarest endemics, more often heard than seen.
Dense undergrowth and bamboo
Endemic
Sturnornis albofrontatus
A scarce canopy starling, usually picked out among fruiting trees.
High canopy
Endemic
Gallus lafayettii
Sri Lanka’s national bird, often seen at dawn along forest tracks.
Forest floor and edges
Endemic
Galloperdix bicalcarata
A notoriously skulking endemic whose ringing calls fill the forest at dawn.
Dense forest floor
Endemic
Ocyceros gingalensis
Pairs and small groups fly to roost across the forest each evening.
Forest and edges
Endemic
Loriculus beryllinus
A tiny parrot that roosts hanging upside down, like a bat.
Flowering and fruiting trees
Endemic
Psittacula calthrapae
An endemic parakeet with a grey head and an emerald collar.
Forest canopy and edges
Endemic
Psilopogon flavifrons
Its repetitive call is one of the classic sounds of the wet zone.
Fruiting trees, gardens and edges
Endemic
Dicrurus lophorinus
A sentinel of the mixed flocks, quick to sound the alarm.
Mid-storey of tall forest
Endemic
Argya rufescens
The noisy heart of Sinharaja’s famous mixed-species bird flocks.
Understorey of wet forest
Endemic
Argya cinereifrons
A shy, threatened endemic of the dense understorey.
Dense forest undergrowth
Endemic
Zoothera imbricata
A secretive thrush of the shaded forest floor, best found at first light.
Shaded forest floor
Endemic
Geokichla spiloptera
A beautiful songster whose dawn chorus fills the forest.
Forest floor and lower storey
Endemic
Chrysocolaptes stricklandi
A large, endemic woodpecker that drums on tall forest trees.
Large trees
Endemic
Pellorneum fuscocapillus
A skulking babbler with a sweet, whistled song.
Forest floor and thickets
Endemic
Dicaeum vincens
A tiny canopy endemic, also called the White-throated Flowerpecker.
Canopy of tall forest
Specialty
Harpactes fasciatus
A jewel of the shaded mid-storey, sitting still for long periods.
Mid-storey of shaded forest
Endemic
Craspedocephalus trigonocephalus
Sri Lanka’s vivid, slow-moving pit viper: watch with a guide and keep a safe distance.
Shrubs near streams
Endemic
Lyriocephalus scutatus
A remarkable, slow-moving endemic lizard with a bulbous nose.
Tree trunks in shaded forest
Endemic
Ceratophora aspera
A small endemic lizard with a rough horn on its nose.
Leaf litter and low shrubs
Endemic
Otocryptis wiegmanni
Named for the way it sprints across the forest floor on its hind legs.
Forest floor
Endemic
Pseudophilautus spp.
Sri Lanka’s endemic shrub frogs come alive on evening walks.
Shrubs and streamsides
Endemic
Semnopithecus vetulus
An endangered endemic monkey, often seen moving through the canopy.
Forest canopy
Endemic
Funambulus layardi
An endemic squirrel that often joins the mixed bird flocks.
Forest canopy and edges
Endemic
Dipterocarpus zeylanicus
A towering endemic dipterocarp of Sinharaja’s canopy.
Lowland rainforest canopy
Native
Mesua ferrea
Sri Lanka’s national tree, with fragrant white flowers and red young leaves.
Wet-zone forest
Endemic
Nepenthes distillatoria
Sri Lanka’s only pitcher plant, trapping insects in its pitchers.
Open, wet, sunny edges
Highlights
Three reasons to look closer
Birds
Serendib Scops Owl, Chestnut-backed Owlet, Sri Lanka Frogmouth and Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl.
Reptiles
Hump-nosed and horned lizards, kangaroo lizards and Sri Lanka’s vivid pit viper.
Plan your visit
Come for the birds. Stay for the forest.
Tell us your dates, your target species and how you like to travel. We will reply with ideas, availability and a plan for your stay.