Sri Lanka Ramsar wetland
Bundala National Park
288 bird species recorded; the most from November to February.
Shehan Welivitigoda · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
250 species in January.250 species in February.228 species in March.196 species in April.159 species in May.164 species in June.148 species in July.170 species in August.179 species in September.201 species in October.242 species in November.252 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
NT
NT
NT
NT
NT
NT
NT
NT- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
288 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 288Speciesrecorded more than once
- 120Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 5ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 123,258Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 20Raptors
- 5Owls
- 45Waders
- 18Gulls & seabirds
- 9Ducks & geese
- 21Herons, ibises & grebes
- 6Storks & cranes
- 1Flamingos
- 94Songbirds
- 69Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 288 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors20 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Brahminy KiteHaliastur indus
- White-bellied Sea-EagleHaliaeetus leucogaster
- Grey-headed Fish EagleIcthyophaga ichthyaetusNT
- Changeable Hawk-EagleNisaetus cirrhatus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Crested Honey BuzzardPernis ptilorhynchus
- Crested Serpent EagleSpilornis cheela
- Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Booted eagleHieraaetus pennatus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Pallid HarrierCircus macrourusNT
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- Black EagleIctinaetus malayensis
- Amur FalconFalco amurensis
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- ShikraAccipiter badius
- Legge's Hawk-EagleNisaetus kelaarti
Owls5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Indian Scops OwlOtus bakkamoena
- Jungle OwletGlaucidium radiatum
- Brown Fish OwlKetupa zeylonensis
- Eastern Barn OwlTyto javanica
- Brown Wood-owlStrix leptogrammica
Waders45 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Red-wattled LapwingVanellus indicus
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Great Thick-kneeEsacus recurvirostrisNT
- Pheasant-tailed JacanaHydrophasianus chirurgus
- Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnatilis
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Yellow-wattled LapwingVanellus malabaricus
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Pin-tailed SnipeGallinago stenura
- Indian Thick-kneeBurhinus indicus
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Little PratincoleGlareola lactea
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Greater Sand PloverCharadrius leschenaultii
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- Oriental PratincoleGlareola maldivarum
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Greater Painted-snipeRostratula benghalensis
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- Broad-billed SandpiperCalidris falcinellusVU
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Long-toed StintCalidris subminuta
- Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Collared PratincoleGlareola pratincola
- Great KnotCalidris tenuirostris
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataVU
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Caspian PloverCharadrius asiaticus
- Asian DowitcherLimnodromus semipalmatusNT
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
Gulls & seabirds18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Whiskered TernChlidonias hybrida
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Little TernSternula albifrons
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Great Crested-TernThalasseus bergii
- Lesser Crested TernThalasseus bengalensis
- Brown-headed GullChroicocephalus brunnicephalus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Bridled TernOnychoprion anaethetus
- Saunders's TernSternula saundersi
- Flesh-footed ShearwaterPuffinus carneipes
- White-tailed TropicbirdPhaethon lepturus
- Sooty TernOnychoprion fuscatus
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Pallas's GullIchthyaetus ichthyaetus
- Anous stolidusAnous stolidus
Ducks & geese9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Lesser Whistling DuckDendrocygna javanica
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Cotton Pygmy GooseNettapus coromandelianus
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea
- Knob-billed DuckSarkidiornis melanotos
Herons, ibises & grebes21 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Indian Pond-HeronArdeola grayii
- Purple heronArdea purpurea
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Oriental DarterAnhinga melanogaster
- Black-necked IbisThreskiornis melanocephalus
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Little CormorantMicrocarbo niger
- Grey PelicanPelecanus philippensisNT
- Egretta intermediaEgretta intermedia
- Indian CormorantPhalacrocorax fuscicollis
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Striated HeronButorides striata
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Western Reef HeronEgretta gularis
- Ardea modestaArdea modesta
- Yellow BitternIxobrychus sinensis
- Eastern Cattle EgretBubulcus coromandus
Storks & cranes6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Painted StorkMycteria leucocephala
- Asian Open-bill StorkAnastomus oscitans
- Lesser Adjutant StorkLeptoptilos javanicusNT
- Black-necked StorkEphippiorhynchus asiaticus
- Asian WoollyneckCiconia episcopusNT
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
Flamingos1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater FlamingoPhoenicopterus roseus
Songbirds94 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- Red-vented BulbulPycnonotus cafer
- Paddyfield PipitAnthus rufulus
- Indian RobinSaxicoloides fulicatus
- Brown ShrikeLanius cristatus
- Plain PriniaPrinia inornata
- House CrowCorvus splendens
- Clamorous Reed WarblerAcrocephalus stentoreus
- Oriental Magpie-robinCopsychus saularis
- White-browed BulbulPycnonotus luteolus
- Ashy-crowned Sparrow-LarkEremopterix griseus
- Purple SunbirdCinnyris asiaticus
- Yellow-billed BabblerTurdoides affinis
- Black-headed MuniaLonchura malacca
- Large-billed CrowCorvus macrorhynchos
- Purple-rumped SunbirdLeptocoma zeylonica
- Common IoraAegithina tiphia
- Spice FinchLonchura punctulata
- Common TailorbirdOrthotomus sutorius
- Rosy StarlingPastor roseus
- Sri Lanka SwallowCecropis hyperythra
- Oriental SkylarkAlauda gulgula
- Zitting CisticolaCisticola juncidis
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Ashy PriniaPrinia socialis
- Indian Paradise FlycatcherTerpsiphone paradisi
- Sri Lanka WoodshrikeTephrodornis affinis
- White-browed FantailRhipidura aureola
- Loten's SunbirdCinnyris lotenius
- Jungle PriniaPrinia sylvatica
- Blyth’s Reed WarblerAcrocephalus dumetorum
- Black-hooded OrioleOriolus xanthornus
- Brahminy StarlingSturnia pagodarum
- Baya WeaverPloceus philippinus
- Pale-billed FlowerpeckerDicaeum erythrorhynchos
- Streaked WeaverPloceus manyar
- Indian PittaPitta brachyura
- Yellow-eyed BabblerChrysomma sinense
- Jerdon's LeafbirdChloropsis jerdoni
- Grey-breasted PriniaPrinia hodgsonii
- Bay-backed ShrikeLanius vittatus
- Tawny-bellied babblerDumetia hyperythra
- Small MinivetPericrocotus cinnamomeus
- Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
- White-rumped MuniaLonchura striata
- Richard's PipitAnthus richardi
- Indian SilverbillEuodice malabarica
- Blyth’s PipitAnthus godlewskii
- White-bellied DrongoDicrurus caerulescens
- Pallas’s grasshopper warblerLocustella certhiola
- Indian White-eyeZosterops palpebrosus
- Ashy Wood SwallowArtamus fuscus
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Black-headed Cuckoo-shrikeCoracina melanoptera
- White-tailed IoraAegithina nigrolutea
- Brown-capped babblerPellorneum fuscocapillus
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Muscicapa latirostrisMuscicapa latirostris
- Forest WagtailDendronanthus indicus
- Eastern Red-rumped SwallowCecropis daurica
- Eastern Yellow WagtailMotacilla tschutschensis
- Yellow-browed BulbulAcritillas indica
- Indian Blue RobinLuscinia brunnea
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Orange MinivetPericrocotus flammeus
- Dark-fronted BabblerRhopocichla atriceps
- Lanius schachLanius schach
- Phylloscopus nitidusPhylloscopus nitidus
- Large CuckooshrikeCoracina macei
- Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrikeHemipus picatus
- Citrine WagtailMotacilla citreola
- Golden-fronted LeafbirdChloropsis aurifrons
- Black-capped BulbulPycnonotus melanicterus
- Black-browed Reed WarblerAcrocephalus bistrigiceps
- Ceylon MynaGracula ptilogenysNT
- Large-billed Leaf-warblerPhylloscopus magnirostris
- Black-naped MonarchHypothymis azurea
- Orange-billed BabblerTurdoides rufescens
- Yellow-eared BulbulPycnonotus penicillatus
- Hill SwallowHirundo domicola
- Tickell's Blue FlycatcherCyornis tickelliae
- Sri Lanka Scimitar BabblerPomatorhinus melanurus
- Oriolus kundooOriolus kundoo
- Pied Bush ChatSaxicola caprata
- Brown-breasted FlycatcherMuscicapa muttui
- Cinereous TitParus cinereus
- Emberiza buchananiEmberiza buchanani
- Dicrurus leucophaeusDicrurus leucophaeus
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Grey-headed Canary-FlycatcherCulicicapa ceylonensis
- Isabelline wheatearOenanthe isabellina
- Siberian stonechatSaxicola maurus
Other birds69 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Indian PeafowlPavo cristatus
- Asian Green Bee-eaterMerops orientalis
- Eastern Spotted DoveSpilopelia chinensis
- Western SwamphenPorphyrio porphyrio
- Blue-tailed Bee-eaterMerops philippinus
- White-breasted KingfisherHalcyon smyrnensis
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- Pied KingfisherCeryle rudis
- White-breasted WaterhenAmaurornis phoenicurus
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Sri Lanka junglefowlGallus lafayettii
- Greater CoucalCentropus sinensis
- Green Imperial-PigeonDucula aeneaNT
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Jacobin CuckooClamator jacobinus
- Orange-breasted Green-pigeonTreron bicinctus
- Common KoelEudynamys scolopaceus
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Little SwiftApus affinis
- WatercockGallicrex cinerea
- Indian RollerCoracias benghalensisNT
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Rhopodytes viridirostrisRhopodytes viridirostris
- Grey-bellied CuckooCacomantis passerinus
- Brown-headed BarbetPsilopogon zeylanicus
- Chestnut-headed Bee-eaterMerops leschenaulti
- Crested TreeswiftHemiprocne coronata
- Eurasian HoopoeUpupa epops
- Asian Palm-swiftCypsiurus balasiensis
- Barred ButtonquailTurnix suscitator
- Yellow-crowned WoodpeckerLeiopicus mahrattensis
- Lesser Crimson-backed FlamebackDinopium psarodes
- Indian SwiftletAerodramus unicolor
- Stork-billed KingfisherPelargopsis capensis
- Indian NightjarCaprimulgus asiaticus
- Coppersmith BarbetPsilopogon haemacephalus
- Pompadour Green PigeonTreron pompadora
- Malabar Pied HornbillAnthracoceros coronatusNT
- Jerdon's NightjarCaprimulgus atripennis
- Alexandrine ParakeetPsittacula eupatria
- CootFulica atra
- Slaty-breasted RailGallirallus striatus
- Brown-capped Pygmy WoodpeckerYungipicus nanus
- Brown-backed NeedletailHirundapus giganteus
- Ruddy-breasted CrakePorzana fusca
- Chestnut-winged CuckooClamator coromandus
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
- Sirkeer MalkohaTaccocua leschenaultii
- Common Emerald DoveChalcophaps indica
- White-naped WoodpeckerChrysocolaptes festivus
- Black-capped KingfisherHalcyon pileataVU
- Ceylon Grey-HornbillOcyceros gingalensis
- Crimson-backed FlamebackChrysocolaptes stricklandi
- Oriental Turtle DoveStreptopelia orientalis
- Plum-headed ParakeetPsittacula cyanocephala
- Ceylon SpurfowlGalloperdix bicalcarata
- Sri Lanka BarbetPsilopogon rubricapillus
- Indian CuckooCuculus micropterus
- Cuculus variusCuculus varius
- Rufous WoodpeckerMicropternus brachyurus
- Baillon's CrakePorzana pusilla
- Ceylon Hanging-ParrotLoriculus beryllinus
- Square-tailed Drongo-CuckooSurniculus lugubris
- Lesser CuckooCuculus poliocephalus
- Picus chlorolophusPicus chlorolophus
- King QuailSynoicus chinensis
- Slaty-legged CrakeRallina eurizonoides
- Sri Lankan frogmouthBatrachostomus moniliger
- Psittacula calthrapaePsittacula calthrapae
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from November to February.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan28°/25°156 mm
- Feb28°/25°114 mm
- Mar29°/26°129 mm
- Apr29°/27°225 mm
- May29°/27°210 mm
- Jun29°/27°120 mm
- Jul28°/26°100 mm
- Aug28°/26°118 mm
- Sep28°/26°177 mm
- Oct28°/26°275 mm
- Nov28°/26°333 mm
- Dec28°/25°268 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Bundala National Park.
National park in Sri Lanka
Bundala National Park is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Sri Lanka.
288 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 123,258 open records.
The most recorded are the Black-winged Stilt, the Red-wattled Lapwing and the Grey Heron.
25 species come for the summer, 94 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
5 are threatened worldwide, including Curlew Sandpiper, Grey Plover and Broad-billed Sandpiper.
The most species are recorded from November to February.
Get there and watch
- Flower Garden Lake Resortplace to stay · 5.9 km · 65 within 10 km
- Hambantotanearest town · 15 km in a straight line
- Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (HRI)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 14 km in a straight lineCar hire at CMB airport (Colombo)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 1bird hides within 6 km
- 1visitor centres within 6 km
- 2viewpoints within 5 km
- 1campsites within 10 km
- 65places to stay within 10 kmFlower Garden Lake Resort, Tissa Inn, Travellers Home and 62 more
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Bundala National Park.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas5 mountains within 25 kmBeraliyahela · 15 kmSitarama Peak · 20 kmGoyankolamulla · 20 kmKataragama Peak424 m · 23 kmElpittiyahela · 24 km
Coastya1 beaches within 10 kmMalala Modera · 8.3 km
Lakeyas7 lakes within 15 kmEmbilikala Kalapuwa3.2 km² · 3.5 kmBundala Lewaya3.7 km² · 3.6 kmAnallan Wewa0.3 km² · 6.4 kmWeerawila Wewa4.6 km² · 8.3 kmKoholankala Lewaya1.9 km² · 11 kmYoda Wewa5.0 km² · 11 kmAttulla Lagoon0.2 km² · 15 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Bundala National Park
Sri Lanka
- 79Birdyas Score
- 288Species
- 120Migrants
- 5Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q2003663) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 123,258 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Islandyas, Coastya, Lakeyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit