Best Birding spots around the Colombo city

September 29, 2022

Best Birding spots around the Colombo city

Colombo largest and commercial capital in Sri lanka. 24/7 busy with road traffic and tough urban life. But there is silver light for bird lovers. Here some few birding hotspots around Colombo that easily access.

• Thalangama Lake
• Beddegana Wet Land
• Muthurajwela wet lands
• Diyasuru Uyana Park

The Talangama Wetland offers visitors a close encounter with nature, without leaving the city of Colombo. It is situated in the outskirts of Colombo at Talangama Battaramulla close to the administrative capital of Sri Jayawardenepura and takes less than an hours’ drive from Colombo.This wetland encompasses a manmade irrigation reservoir, lush green paddy fields, canals, ponds and marshes; the diversity making it a unique and favourable ecosystem for diverse species of fauna and flora to thrive in. Thalangama Lake is home to about 100 species of wetland birds and common garden birds such as Herons, Bulbuls, Swamp hens, Water hens, Kingfishers, Teals, Gulls, Swallows, Egrets and Storks amongst many others. Also seen here are numerous species of Butterflies and Dragonflies. There are also plenty of Purple faced leaf monkey and other reptiles to be seen here. The Talangama Wetland is the best place to spend an enjoyable day birding, right in the suburbs of Colombo. The best time to visit the Wetland is early in the morning and late evening when birds and other wildlife are seen in plenty. Visitors can also hire a paddle boat and enjoy paddling on the lake with a great opportunity to take a closer look at the wildlife on the lake.It is believed that the ancient Thalangama tank was built by King Parakramabahu VI during his reign from ca. 1412 to 1467 AD. It was a bathing place for the elephants of the royal army, and serves until today irrigated paddy cultivation, grazing water buffaloes, and flood water retention. The word Thalangama is said to derive from the word ‘Thadaka Gama’ or ‘village of ponds’.

Birds you can see from here – little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)/ little cormorant (Microcarbo niger)/ Indian cormorant or Indian shag (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis)/ great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)/ purple heron (Ardea purpurea)/ great egret (Ardea alba)/ grey heron (Ardea cinerea)/ yellow bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis)/ Oriental darter (Anhinga melanogaster) and more.
Google Map – https://goo.gl/maps/tgRigCmJB4BdTXSq9

Muthurajawela Marsh is located in the southern region of the Negombo lagoon in Sri Lanka. Muthurajawela harbors over 194 species of flora distributed over seven major vegetation types which includes marsh, lactic flora, shrub land, reed, swamp, grasslands, stream bank and mangrove forest. Birds are the dominant group of vertebrates in Muthurajawela. It consists of 102 species including one endemic. The mixture of vegetation types and aquatic habitats in Muthurajawela has made it an ideal Eco-zone for a variety of birds.

Birds you can see from here – Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)/ greater coucal or crow pheasant (Centropus sinensis)/ spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis)/ black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus)/ white stork (Ciconia ciconia)/ great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)/ spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis)/ Indian pond heron or paddybird (Ardeola grayii)/ yellow bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis)/ brahminy kite (Haliastur indus)/ besra (Accipiter virgatus)/ black-headed ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus)/ white-throated kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)/ black drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)/ Indian paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi)/ red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)/ common myna or Indian myna (Acridotheres tristis)/ yellow-billed babbler (Argya affinis) and many more.

Google Map – https://goo.gl/maps/KV3A5WK1RpzK8N1o9

Beddegana Wetland Park can be found in Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte. The park’s location within the revealed “Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte Bird Sanctuary” and highly urban built environment sets the stage for its paradigm importance. This 18-hectare area is home to many aquatic birds and other faunal species such as butterflies, dragonflies, and mammals endemic to Sri Lankan and Asian wetlands. Apart from that, this marsh area is a popular stopover for migratory birds. During the migratory season, one can catch sight of the diverse flocks of shorebirds or waders, including plovers and sandpipers.
It has been reported that 50 species of birds, 20 species of fish, 119 species of butterflies make this wetland their habitat, and endangered mammals included in the IUCN red list, such as a fishing cat, are with the resident’s species mammals.
Birds you can see from here – green-billed coucal (Centropus chlororhynchos)/ lesser coucal (Centropus bengalensis) / common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)/white-throated kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) /Spotted dove, painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala)/ Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus)/ lesser whistling duck (Dendrocygna javanica)/ Yellow Billed Babbler/ red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)/ Alexandrine parakeet (Psittacula eupatria)/ rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri)/white-breasted waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)/ common myna or Indian myna (Acridotheres tristis)/ yellow-billed babbler (Argya affinis)/ spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis) and many more.
Google Map – https://goo.gl/maps/TGt1HsrdTDN7chvEA

Diyasaru Park (formerly known as Thalawathugoda Wetland Park or Thalawathugoda Biodiversity Study Park), is 60 acre urban wetland park located in Thalawathugoda area of Sri Jayawardanapura, Colombo. It comprises a range of wetland habitats such as marshes, flooded woodlands, lakes, and ponds. The park was officially opened and relaunched to the public on 3 October 2017. It is open 6 days of the week from Monday to Saturday from 6am-6pm. currently, park premises serve as a flood detention area by absorbing flood water during heavy storms and reduce inundation of the parliament area. The name “Diyasaru” is for ‘rich in water’ in Sinhala. The vision of the park is “Releasing the Stress of Urbanization”.
The park offers to experience many ecotouristic activities as well as recreational and leisure activities. The park is divided into several sections such with bird watching tower, bird hide, butterfly garden, organic agriculture area, open study area, green buildings, boardwalks, plant nursery, ecology laboratory, a herbarium, children’s pond, rush and reed pond and audio video room. Diyasaru Park is home for more than 250 species of animals across all ranges including molluscs, arthropods and vertebrates. Many rare and migrant birds, butterflies, dragonflies, mammals, many/ types of fishes including endemics, amphibians, and reptiles are abundant. Numerically, there are about more than 80 species of wetland birds including 50 species of migratory birds, 15 species of fish including three endemics, 40 species of butterflies, 28 species of dragonflies, 28 species of reptiles, 7 species of mammals. A part of the park is reserved for five endangered fishing cats. Otters, purple faced leaf monkeys and estuarine crocodiles are also found in park sections.[2]

Birds you can find here – little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)/ Sri Lankan junglefowl (Gallus lafayettii)/ grey-headed swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus)/ Asian openbill or Asian openbill stork (Anastomus oscitans)/ little cormorant (Microcarbo niger)/ little egret (Egretta garzetta)/ purple heron (Ardea purpurea)/ cinnamon bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus)/ brahminy kite (Haliastur indus)/ coppersmith barbet (Psilopogon haemacephalus)/ black drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)/ Indian paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi)/ red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)/ purple-rumped sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica)/ common myna or Indian myna (Acridotheres tristis)/ spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis) and many more.

Google Map – https://goo.gl/maps/MYbi8fkzLopfksbr8