Black-naped Hare is well distributed in
scrub and grasslands throughout the island. It is nocturnal in habit in most
areas and during day time lies up in a well camouflaged sheltered patch in the
undergrowth. But in the protected areas such as in national parks, it is active
even during the day time, mostly in the morning hours. Black-naped Hare is an
almost entirely herbivorous mammal and feeds on grasses, shoots, young leaves
etc. It doesn't have definite breeding season and produces one or two young
‘leverets’ at any time of the year.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
පිඹුරා[Pimbura]/Indian Rock Python (Python molurus molurus)
Indian Rock Python is the largest snake in Sri Lanka (with average length of an adult about 3 meters while 4.6m being the longest record (de Silva Anslem, 2009)) inhabiting varies ecosystems from tropical rain forests to coastal scrub lands throughout the country. It has been also recorded from an off-shore island near Trincomalee and from the Horton plains (Somaweera R., 2006). It is mostly active during the night though diurnal activities are also recorded especially during rainy season. Even though it is terrestrial snake arboreal and aquatic habits have been also observed. Indian Rock Python feeds on warm-blooded animals from rodents to adult deer and also monitor lizards and even frogs. There are records of Rock Python preying on leopards and occasional human too. The female python deposit 10-50 eggs inside a rock cave or large tree hole and incubates by coiling around them. It is threatened by skin-trade and also consuming of flesh for medicinal purposes. Rock Python is a non-venomous snake though its bite can cause severe wounds.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Orange-breasted Green Pigeon /ළය රන් බටගොයා/ලැම රන් බටගොයා [Lama-Ran Batagoya/Laya-ran Batagoya] (Treron bicinctus)
Common resident bird in shrubs and wooded
patches of dry lowlands. Local and rare in wet lowlands and lower hills. It
lives as small flocks and sometime congregates freely in large flocks of same
species or with other pigeons (Sri Lanka Green Pigeon, Emerald Dove, GreenImperial Pigeon etc.) in the places where food is plentiful such as when a Banyan tree is
fruiting. Although strictly an arboreal bird it descends to the bank of a
stream/river or a water-hole for drink water, mostly in the morning and in the
afternoon. It breeds from December to May and probably again from August to
September. The nest is a platform of small twigs place in a small tree beside
the jungle path.
සිංහලෙන් කියවන්න >>
Friday, November 23, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
සැළලිහිණියා[Salalihiniya]/Lesser Hill Myna/Common Grackle/Sourthern Grackle (Gracula indica)
Common breeding resident in forest edges,
wooded areas and adjoining home gardens of wet zone lowlands to mid hills and sometime
locally in dry zone tall forests. It feeds mainly on fruits as pairs or small
flocks, usually high in trees, keep in touch with each others by uttering very
loud musical whistling sound. It breeds from May to August laying two eggs in a
deep cavity in a tree.
සිංහලෙන් කියවන්න >>
Monday, November 19, 2012
Tamil Yeoman/Yeoman (Cirrochroa thais lanka)
Friday, November 16, 2012
පැණි කුරුල්ලා[Pani kurulla]/Purple-rumped Sunbird(Nectarinia zeylonica zeylonica)
Common breeding resident in home gardens,
forests and cultivation from lowlands to mid hills while scarce in higher
hills. It lives in pairs and visit flowers all day long to feed on nectar. Also
it eats many small insects. Purple-rumped Sunbird breeds from February to June and probably second
brood again in August- September. The nest is a small hanging structure from a
twig, composed of soft fibers, scraps of lichens etc. bound with cobweb where hen
lays two eggs.
සිංහලෙන් කියවන්න >>
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Smallest Swift (Panara bada bada)
An uncommon butterfly found in all climatic
zones of the island throughout the year. Its larva feeds on paddy (Oryza sativa), Echinochloa crus-galli and Panicum maximum.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Intermediate Egret/Sudu Madikoka/Kuda Sudu Koka (Mesophoyx intermedia)
Intermediate Egret is a common breeding
resident from lowlands to the hills excluding north. Paddy fields, marshes,
lakes, mangroves and rivers are its habitats where it can be found solitary or as
flocks of few individuals. Intermediate Egret feeds mainly on fish but frogs,
grasshoppers and other insects are also eaten. It breeds from December to May
and the nest built in a heronry usually mixed with other herons and egrets on a
tree standing in shallow water.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Rather common breeding resident in lowland
tanks, marshes and such water bodies while much common in the dry zone and less in
wet zone. It is also known as rare breeding resident of higher hills (Warakagoda
D. et. al. 2012). It lives as small flocks though solitary birds are sometime
seen. Little grebe’s diet consists of small fish, various water insects and
prawns. It breeds from December to February and probably again in June. The
nest is a floating mass of water weeds where it lays three white eggs.
සිංහලෙන් කියවන්න >>
Monday, November 5, 2012
Schneider’s leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros speoris)
Schneider’s leaf-nosed bat is a common insectivorous bat in lowlands and lower hills of the island. It roosts in
large colonies in caves and abandoned buildings during the day time and leaves
early in the evening to feed on flying beetles, mosquitoes, flies, termites and
such other low flying insects. It flies close to the ground among bushes and
trees and human dwellings (sometime entering verandas and even rooms to catch
small flying insects).
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Common Banded Demon (Notocrypta paralysos alysia)
Rather rare butterfly found in wet zone jungles
upto about 1500m a.s.l . It has a rather fast up and down flight with frequently
settling on foliages.
Larval Host Plants
Hellenia speciosa |
Alpinia purpurata (Red ginger) |
Alpinia zerumbet |
Curcuma longa |
Curcuma zedoaria |
Hedychium coccineum |
Hedychium flavescens (Yellow Ginger Lily) |
Zingiber cylindricum |
Zingiber officinale [ඉඟුරු/Ginger] |
Zingiber wightianum |
Zingiber zerumbet (වල් - ඉඟුරු/Wild Ginger) |
Meistera fulviceps |
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Scarlet Minivet/Flame Minivet/Orange Minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus)
Locally common breeding resident of open
forest and other wooded areas throughout the country while much common in hills.
It lives in pairs or family parties. Scarlet Minivet feeds on caterpillars,
crickets and other insects among foliage and follows one another from one tree
to other in 'follow my-leader' fashion. It breeds in February-May and again from August to September. The nest is a small cup in the canopy well camouflaged with
lichens, flakes of bark etc and composed with lichens bound together with
cobweb and lined with dead-leaf midribs, etc.
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