Birds of Pray of Sri Lanka

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“Birds of Prey” refers to various bird species that hunt and feed on other animals. These birds are also known as raptors and are characterized by keen eyesight, strong talons, and hooked beaks, which help them catch and consume their prey. These birds are found on every continent except Antarctica, with each species adapted to its unique environment.

There are two main types of birds of prey: diurnal (active during the day) and nocturnal (active at night). Diurnal birds of prey include hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures. Nocturnal birds of prey include owls.

All raptors in general show the following physical adaptations specifically for hunting.

Vision: Birds of prey boast incredible eyesight, some having vision up to eight times sharper than humans! Their eyes are positioned forward, giving them excellent binocular vision for precise depth perception during the hunt.
Beaks and Talons: These sharp tools are perfectly designed for catching and tearing flesh. The beaks are strong and curved, allowing for ripping through prey, while talons act like hooks to snatch and hold onto struggling animals.
Flight: Birds of prey have powerful wings and lightweight bodies, enabling them to soar effortlessly for extended periods. Some falcons can even reach incredible speeds when diving to catch prey.
Hearing: Owls, in particular, have exceptional hearing due to their facial structure that funnels sound towards their asymmetrical ears. This allows them to pinpoint the location of even the smallest critters scurrying in the undergrowth at night.

Sri Lanka, a tropical paradise known for its rich biodiversity, is home to a variety of birds of prey. These raptors play a crucial role in maintaining the ecological balance by controlling the population of other animals. Let’s explore some of the most remarkable birds of prey that can be spotted in Sri Lanka.

Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis Cheela Spilogaster)

Crested Serpent Eagle (Snake Eagle) also called Silu Sarpakussa (සිළු සර්පකුස්සා) and Sarpa Rajaliya (සර්ප රාජාලියා) in Sinhalese is the most common and widespread large raptor found in Sri Lanka. This bird is found in lowlands, hills and open areas.

This medium-large, dark brown eagle is stocky, with rounded wings and a short tail. The crest is seen only when it’s excited. The bare facial skin and feet are yellow. The underside is spotted with white and yellowish-brown. When perched the wing tips do not reach until the tail tip. In soaring flight, the broad and paddle-shaped wings are held in a shallow V. The tail and underside of the flight feathers are black with broad white bars. Young birds show a lot of white on the head. The tarsus is unfeathered and covered by hexagonal scales.

Black Eagle (Ictinaetus malayensis)

Black Eagle known as Kalu Rajaliya (කළු රාජාලියා) Kalukussa (කළුකුස්සා) in Sinhalese medium-sized eagle is found in forested areas throughout Sri Lanka. Adults appear all dark from a distance, but closer inspection reveals pale barring on the primaries, secondaries, and undertail, as well as a bright yellow bill and feet. Readily separated from other large birds of prey in range by structure as well as colouration; Black Eagles have broad wings with distinct “fingers”(emarginated primaries) in the tip, as well as a long tail that is fan-shaped when open and slightly wedge-shaped when closed.

Black Eagle is a rather uncommon breeding resident in Sri Lanka. They are mainly found in the forests and nearby open areas from the wet lowlands to the hills. They become fairly common in the higher elevations. It is also found locally in isolated forested hills, such as Ritigala, in the dry lowlands.

They mainly feed on smaller birds and birds’ eggs. Therefore these birds are found gliding in pairs just above jungle canopies in search of bird nests.

White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)

White-bellied Sea Eagle known as Kusaeli Muhudukussa (කුසඇලි මුහුදුකුස්සා) or Muhudu Rajaliya (මුහුදු රාජාලියා) in Sinhalese is a large eagle found on the coastal line, near large reservoirs, rivers etc.

The adult White-bellied Sea Eagle has a white head, breast, under-wing coverts and tail. The upper parts are grey and the black under-wing flight feathers contrast with the white coverts. The tail is short and wedge-shaped. Like many raptors, the female is larger than the male and can measure up to 90 cm (35 in) long with a wingspan of up to 2.2 m (7.2 ft), and weigh 4.5 kg (9.9 lb). Immature birds have brown plumage, which is gradually replaced by white until the age of five or six years.

Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)

Brahminy Kite called Bamunu Piyakussa (බමුණු පියාකුස්සා) or Bhramana Ukussa (බ්‍රාහ්මණ උකුස්සා) is a common resident of Sri Lanka found on the coastal line, near large reservoirs, rivers etc. Kites are comparatively smaller than Eagles.

this bird is distinguished by its starkly contrasting colouration. The plumage is chestnut, except for the white head and breast and black wing tips. The tail is rounded and tipped in white.

Brahminy Kites have a white head and chest with a chestnut brown body, the wing wings are broad with dark ‘fingered’ wing tips and the tails are short and white-tipped. Like other raptors, the females are larger than the males.

Oriental Honey-Buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus)

Oriental Honey-Buzzard is called Bambara Ukussa (බඹර උකුස්සා) or Silu Bambarakussa (සිළු බඹරකුස්සා) in Sinhalese. This is a fairly common medium-large raptor found throughout the island of Sri Lanka. The resident population is augmented by the arrival of honey-buzzards from India during migration from November to December and leaving in April.

A small and slender head and thin, longish neck in comparison to a larger body, long striped tail, broad wings, and well-striped underwings are characteristic and help to identify honey-buzzards from other raptors. It has a small crest. Adults are darker brown above with variable underparts, from dark brown to light brown, or dark streaks or bars on a paler background. Juveniles are lighter in colour and have pale brown upperparts with whitish upper wing coverts and almost whitish underparts. The male has a grey face and red irides.

Black Kite (Milvus migrans)

Also called Pariah Kite and Bora Parakussa (බොර පරකුස්සා) in Sinhalese. This is a medium-sized raptor with brown upper plumage and a paler head and neck. There is a dark patch behind the eye and the outer flight feathers are black. They have angled wings and a distinctive shallow-forked tail (which can disappear when the tail is fully open). Black Kite is an opportunistic hunter/scavenger.

The Black Kite is almost exclusively found in the northern part of Sri Lanka on the sea coast from Puttalam to Trincomalee. They are most common in Jaffna. They are commonly seen from October to March. Migratory Black kites augment the local population during migration season.

Legge’s Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus kelaart)

Legge’s Hawk Eagle (Spizaetus kelaarti) is a rare breeding resident in the foothills of Sri Lanka. It is a medium-large raptor (69-84cm long) found in the mountain woodlands. Legge’s Hawk Eagle is confined to the hills of southwestern India and Sri Lanka, making it endemic to the Indian Subcontinent.

Adults have brown to dark brown upperparts, usually dark streaks on the upper breast, rufous barring in the rest of the underparts, and orange-yellow iris. The wings are broad with a curved trailing edge; they are held in a shallow V during flight. Has a distinctive crest of feathers on the head. Females are larger than males and have broader wings. It is usually restricted to the wet zone area of the country.

Changeable Hawk Eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus)

Changeable Hawk Eagle is known as Perali Kondakussa (පෙරළි කොණ්ඩකුස්සා) in Sinhalese. The subspecies Nisaetus cirrhatus ceylanensis is endemic to Sri Lanka. They have proportionally longer crests on average than the nominate race, with a length of about 10 cm (3.9 in). This eagle was called Hawk Eagle in the past.

The Changeable Hawk Eagle is a relatively slender, medium-large raptor measuring 60-72 cm in length. It is typically brown above and white below, with barring on the undersides of its flight feathers and tail. Its long wings are somewhat rounded and upturned at the tips, held flat during flight. The tail is moderately long, contributing to its distinctive silhouette.

The Changeable Hawk-Eagle is a relatively common breeding resident in Sri Lanka primarily found in the low-country dry zone and, to a lesser extent, in the wet zone. It also inhabits the mid-elevations of the hills up to 1500 meters. This raptor prefers open forest areas and grasslands with trees, such as chena cultivations and tank borders. It spends much of its time perched on exposed branches, vigilantly searching for prey. Its diet mainly consists of lizards, rodents, and birds, which it captures with sudden, swift attacks.

Shikra (Accipiter badius)

Shikra is known as Kurulugoya (කුරුලුගොයා) in northern parts and Ukussa (උකුස්සා) in the southern parts¹ of the Island in Sinhalese is a widely distributed common breeding resident in Sri Lanka.

Male Shikra is a small raptor (26-30cm long) that has grey upperparts, red eyes and underparts that are finely bar red rufous. Females are similar but larger, with brownish-grey upperparts and orange eyes. Juveniles have brown upperparts and dark spots on underparts; eye colour changes from grey to yellow².

Shikras are found in lightly wooded and more open areas. In some regions, they can also be found near human habitation. They frequent various localities, including cliffs on the sea coast, rocky prominences inland, isolated groves of trees, coconut compounds surrounding native villages, the borders of paddy fields, freshly cleared chenas and cinnamon plantations dotted with large trees¹.

Lizards, other small reptiles, mice and large beetles are its primary diet. However, it’s known to hunt smaller birds as well¹.

Gray Headed Fish Eagle (Icthyophaga ichthyaetus)

The Grey-Headed Fish Eagle, known in Sinhalese as Wev Rajaliya (වැව් රාජාලියා) or Alu His Masukussa (අළුහිස් මසුකුස්සා), is an uncommon breeding resident is a large stocky raptor (70-75cm long) with dark brown upperparts, a grey head, and a reddish brown breast. The lower belly, thighs, and tail are white. It has a small head with a powerful beak, short legs, and long, black talons.

Grey-Headed Fish Eagle has a somewhat smaller head with a thinner neck, which gives a rather vulturine appearance. Its underwings are all black. It utters a loud unmusical honking².

It is typically found around reservoirs and rivers in the low country dry zone, where forests or tall trees provide a suitable habitat. It seldom visits the wet zone. Unlike other raptors, Grey-Headed Fish Eagles rarely soar the sky in search of prey. They would perch on a tree branch for hours waiting to spot a fish in a nearby water body.

Reference

Legge, W.V. (1878) A History Of the Birds of Ceylon. London: Vincent Legge.
De Silva, G., Warakagoda, D. and De Zylva, T.S.U. (2016) Birds of Sri Lanka : Pocket Photo Guide. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.