Birds to See in Sri Lanka in February
79 species listed for February · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
79 bird species on our list for Sri Lanka are recorded regularly in February. Of these, the most often recorded are Rose-ringed Parakeet, Little Egret, Barn Swallow, Rock Dove and Great White Egret. New this month: Red Knot, Wryneck and Roseate Tern.
New in February3
Leaving after last month
No departures — all species from last month remain.
Residents
(26)Recorded all year
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Psittacula krameriLC
Recorded all year
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Great White Egret
Ardea albaLC
Recorded all year
Indian Peafowl
Pavo cristatusLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Purple Heron
Ardea purpureaLC
Recorded all year
Scaly-breasted Munia
Lonchura punctulataLC
Recorded all year
Indian Robin
Copsychus fulicatusLC
Recorded all year
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodiaLC
Recorded all year
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Recorded all year
Orange-breasted Green-pigeon
Treron bicinctusLC
Recorded all year
Little Tern
Sternula albifronsLC
Recorded all year
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Recorded all year
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Recorded all year
Oriental Honey-buzzard
Pernis ptilorhynchusLC
Recorded all year
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticoraxLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Hoopoe
Upupa epopsLC
Recorded all year
Black Eagle
Ictinaetus malaiensisLC
Recorded all year
Malabar Trogon
Harpactes fasciatusLC
Recorded all year
Common Tern
Sterna hirundoLC
Recorded all year
Alpine Swift
Tachymarptis melbaLC
Recorded all year
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinusLC
Recorded all year
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Recorded all year
Summer visitors
(1)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Winter visitors
(48)Present outside the breeding season
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareolaLC
Regularly Jul–Apr
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon niloticaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Pacific Golden-Plover
Pluvialis fulvaLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Little Stint
Calidris minutaLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Little Ringed Plover
Thinornis dubiusLC
Recorded all year
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Regularly Jul–Apr
Kentish Plover
Charadrius alexandrinusLC
Recorded all year
Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
Regularly Jul–Apr
Curlew Sandpiper
Calidris ferrugineaNT
Regularly Jul–May
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Garganey
Spatula querquedulaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
Recorded all year
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterusLC
Regularly Aug–May
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Recorded all year
Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Recorded all year
Glossy Ibis
Plegadis falcinellusLC
Regularly Jun–Apr
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Ruff
Calidris pugnaxLC
Regularly Sep–Mar
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Booted Eagle
Hieraaetus pennatusLC
Regularly Sep–Mar
Temminck's Stint
Calidris temminckiiLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Regularly Aug–Mar
Greater Flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseusLC
Regularly Dec–May
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Regularly Aug–May
Osprey
Pandion haliaetusLC
Regularly Jun–Apr
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Regularly Aug–May
Orange-headed Thrush
Geokichla citrinaLC
Regularly Nov–Apr
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Regularly Nov–Feb
Yellow Wagtail
Motacilla flavaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Lesser Whitethroat
Curruca currucaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Regularly Dec–Mar
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Regularly Aug–Jun
Western Marsh-harrier
Circus aeruginosusLC
Regularly Sep–Mar
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensisLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Red-necked Phalarope
Phalaropus lobatusLC
Regularly Oct–Feb
European Bee-eater
Merops apiasterLC
Regularly Dec–Feb
Passage migrants
(3)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Scarce visitors
(1)Recorded in some years but not every year
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made