https://www.facebook.com/867916036410610/

Hapuarachchi Photography, No. 250, Newcity, Ingiriya (2026)

11/02/2026

Galenbidunuvawa ,Anuradhapura
2026 /01/19
Photography by Hapuarachchi family

11/02/2026

Brown boobok

The Brown Boobook (Ninox scutulata), also known as the Brown Hawk-Owl, is a medium-sized (32 cm), hawk-like owl with distinct large yellow eyes, a dark brown back, and a white, streaked underbody. Native to South and Southeast Asia, this nocturnal predator is highly adaptable, inhabiting forests, plantations, and gardens, while feeding on large insects, frogs, lizards, and small birds.

2026/02/11

Ingiriya home

6.30 pm

Photography by Sisira Hapuarachchi

23/12/2025

The brown-capped pygmy woodpecker or Indian pygmy woodpecker (Yungipicus nanus) is a species of very small woodpecker found in Nepal, India and Sri Lanka. Some taxonomic authorities continue to place this species in the genus Dendrocopos or Picoides.
Brown-capped pygmy woodpecker

A small brown and white woodpecker with distinctive pink-rimmed white irises. Barred brown and white above, lightly streaked dirty white below. Tail spotted white. Paler brown crown (edged red in male) and eyestripes contrasting with white supercilia and cheeks.

23/12/2025

The lesser yellownape
is a largish species at 27 cm in length. It has a typical woodpecker shape. The upperparts are green apart from the bright yellow tufted nape. The neck and breast are green and the belly is whitish, finely barred with green. The rump and tail are blackish.
The adult male lesser yellownape has a green head with a white throat. He has red markings above the eye and above the nape, and red moustachial stripes. Females have only a red patch above the ear coverts. Young birds are like the female, but duller. The subspecies occu rring in peninsular India has a greyer head.
This is a jungle species which nests in a tree hole, laying two to four white eggs. Like other woodpeckers, this species has a straight pointed bill, a stiff tail to provide support against tree trunks, and zygodactyl or "yoked" feet, with two toes pointing forward, and two backward. The long tongue can be darted forward to capture insects.

23/12/2025

.The Indian paradise flycatcher

(Terpsiphone paradisi) is a medium-sized passerine bird in the monarch flycatcher family, Monarchidae. As the global population is considered stable, it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004. It is native to the Indian subcontinent, with resident and breeding populations in most of Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka, as well as parts of Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.The Indian paradise flycatcher has a length of 20–50 cm (7.9–19.7 in) from beak to tail] Males have elongated central tail feathers, and a black and rufous plumage in some populations, while others have white plumage. Females are short-tailed with rufous wings and a black head.[3] Indian paradise flycatchers feed on insects, including grasshoppers, butterflies and praying mantises, as well as flies. The Indian paradies flycatcher typically captures prey in the air, kills it by hitting it on a rock, and then extracts the inner parts.often below a densely canopied tree.

23/12/2025

Sri Lanka hosts several oriole species, notably the vibrant Black-hooded Oriole (Oriolus xanthornus) with its golden-yellow body, black "hood," and red bill, and the Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) with its yellow body, black eye-mask, and nape stripe, both common in woodlands, gardens, and cultivated areas, feeding on fruits and insects. These striking passerine birds are known for their melodious, flute-like songs, often seen flitting through tree canopies.

Black-hooded Oriole

(Oriolus xanthornus): A resident breeder in South Asia, featuring bright yellow with a black head, throat, and wings, found in forests, parks, and orchards.

Black-naped Oriole
Migration bird

(Oriolus chinensis): Widespread, recognized by its bright yellow body and black eye-mask, inhabiting open woodlands and mangroves.
Habitat & Behavior:
Habitat: Found in diverse settings, from dense forests (like Sinharaja outskirts) to cultivated lands and urban gardens.
Diet: Omnivorous, enjoying fruits (especially figs), nectar, and insects.
Appearance: Known for their striking colors and often red eyes and beaks.
Sound: Their calls are distinctively fluty and mellow.

23/12/2025

The Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros gingalensis) was first described in 1811 by Shaw. It is a member of the family Bucerotidae (Hornbills). Hornbills are a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World. Sri Lanka has two species of Hornbills, the Grey Hornbill which is endemic to the island and the Malabar Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus) which is also found in other parts of South Asia. The Grey hornbill can be easily set apart from its counterpart (Malabar Pied Hornbill) by lacking the casque (the projection on top of the bill).

The family Ocyceros is represented by three species, which is distributed throughout South Asia; the Malabar Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros griseus), the Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros biostris) and the Sri Lankan Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros gingalensis).

Hornbills have rather intriguing way of raising a brood; the female lays around 4 eggs in a tree hole. Once the egg are laid, the male blocks off the entrance to the hole, trapping the female inside, with a mixture of mud, droppings and fruit pulp. The male leaves a narrow opening, just wide enough to transfer food to the mother and chicks. During the incubation period the female drops (moults) all her feathers. And once the chicks are ready to leave the hollow the female and male break open the hollow, helping the female and chicks to come out. The feathers of the female grow back at the end of this period.

15/12/2025

The Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl (also Forest Eagle-Owl, Ketupa nipalensis) is Sri Lanka's largest owl, a nocturnal forest dweller, famous for its eerie, human-like calls, leading to its identification as the mythical "Devil Bird" (Ulama). These formidable owls are silvery-grey, have large yellow bills, and distinctive ear-tufts, preying on animals as large as small deer, and are rarely seen due to their elusive nature in dense forests.

Key Characteristics in Sri Lanka

Size: Sri Lanka's largest owl, measuring 50-65 cm, with long wings.

Appearance: Silver-grey with dark markings, prominent sideways ear-tufts, and large yellow eyes and bill.

Habitat: Dense wet lowland and hill forests, preferring primary or old-growth forests.also in our home Ingiriya

Behavior: Strictly nocturnal but occasionally hunts by day; incredibly difficult to spot.

Call: Deep, booming, human-sounding hoots, often mistaken for the legendary Devil Bird.

Local Name: Maha Bakamuna (Large Horned Owl) in Sinhala.

13/12/2025

The pale-billed flowerpecker or Tickell's flowerpecker (Dicaeum erythrorhynchos) is a tiny bird that feeds on nectar and berries, found in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and western Myanmar. The bird is common especially in urban gardens with berry bearing trees. They have a rapid chipping call and the pinkish curved beak separates it from other species in the region.
This is a tiny bird, 8 cm long, and is one of the smallest birds occurring in most parts of southern India and Sri Lanka. The bird is plain brownish to olive green. The underside is buff olive and does not contrast greatly with the upperparts and not whitish as in the Nilgiri flowerpecker of the Western Ghats and Nilgiri hills nor is it streaked as in the thick-billed flowerpecker. The Nilgiri flowerpecker has a pale supercilium unlike this species which has no marking on the head. The Sri Lankan race ceylonense Babault, 1920 - is greyer and smaller than the nominate race of peninsular India.[3] It has been considered one of the early flowerpeckers, originating in the Malay Peninsula, to colonize the Indian Subcontinent.Tickell's flowerpeckers breed from February to June. A second brood may be raised in September. The nest is a small pendant purse-like structure made of cobwebs, fibre, moss and down suspended from the tip of a twig high up in a tree. The opening is a slit and a clutch of two or three eggs is laid.

12/12/2025

The Shikra කුරුළු ගොයා

(scientific name: Accipiter badius)
is a small, common hawk found across Asia and Africa, known in English by names like Little Banded Goshawk, Indian Sparrowhawk, or simply Shikra, derived from the Hindi word for "hunter" (shikari). It's recognized for its sharp calls, flap-and-glide flight, and impressive hunting skills, preying on small birds, lizards, rodents, and insects in varied habitats like woodlands, gardens, and savannas.

Key English Names & Facts:

Main Name: Shikra

Other Names: Little Banded Goshawk, Indian Sparrowhawk, Shikra Goshawk, Ceylon Shikra

Scientific Name: Accipiter badius

Origin of Name: From Hindi/Urdu shikari, meaning hunter.

Description: A small, agile raptor with a long, barred tail, similar to other sparrowhawks.

Habitat: Found in woodlands, savannas, gardens, and even urban areas in Asia and Africa.

Diet: Carnivorous, eating small birds, reptiles (lizards), rodents, bats, and insects.

Behavior: Known for patience and skill in hunting, adaptable to urban environments.

Hapuarachchi Photography

11/02/2026

11/02/2026

23/12/2025

23/12/2025

23/12/2025

23/12/2025

23/12/2025

15/12/2025

13/12/2025

12/12/2025

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category