Brahminy kite name origin full#

Yet presently haphazard development initiatives have bypassed the previous threats. Few years back, the major threats to the survival of the Park were poaching and droughts that lasted for months and killed many animals. The park was officially opened to public in late 2009. Wilpattu was out of bounds for tourist for more than two decades due to civil war and several unfortunate incidents including the killing of park officials occurred as a result. Raptors including Brahminy kite, Crested Serpent eagle, Changeable-hawk eagle and White-bellied sea eagle were also encountered in the Park. The multi-coloured Chestnut Bee-eaters were found basking on the hot sand while species such as Eurasian thick knee, and water associated birds such as Pond herons, Egrets, Little Cormorants and Lesser whistling ducks were very common. As soon as we left, the bird returned to its eggs. There was no specific nest, but the eggs were just laid on the sandy terrain. The jeeps engine disturbed the nightjar exposing two vulnerable eggs to the hot sun. Our guide’s sharp eyes managed to spot a nesting Indian nightjar which was well camouflaged amongst the sandy vegetation. They are known to imitate the calls of other birds. The Shama is a highly territorial bird and the voice of this species is rich and melodious with wide-ranging songs and notes. The endemic Sri Lanka Jungle fowl was plentiful while White-rumped Shamas were observed in several occasions. We managed to observe around 83 species of birds that included several migrants such as the Eurasian Golden Plover. Later when I talked to a friend, he told me that they observed five leopards including two cubs during the previous week, indicating that you need luck as well as patience to see them. Although we observed many leopard tracks during our many rounds in the park we didn’t spot the king of our jungle, which was a huge disappointment. Presently the situation has revered somewhat, with Yala now becoming the hotspot for leopard viewing while at Wilpattu the number of daytime observations has become less. In this respect the leopards of Wilpattu were unique, as nowhere else in the world were there such excellent opportunities of viewing leopards, not even in Africa. Leopards were the pride of the park, not so much numerically, but because so often met with by day. Surveys undertaken in early 1950s revealed that the number of bears and leopard were much higher at Wilpattu than Yala National Park.

Brahminy kite name origin full#

Its proximity to Colombo, the varied landscape so full of the right jungle atmosphere, its chain of picturesque villus and its abundant bird life are sufficient to draw more and more visitors. As stated in the administrative report of the 1967-68, admittedly Wilpattu does not show up its animals as easily as Yala National Park, but it has its compensations. Presently the park spans for 131, 693 ha spreading in to Puttalam, and Anuradhapura Districts and also include a coastal stretch extending for nearly 50 km.