Sinharaja Rain Forest

Sinharaja is a lowland tropical rainforest of global importance showing certain affinities with the rainforests of South and North-East India, Indonesia and Malaysia. As a result of long isolation in the shelter of the central mountains of Sri Lanka, as well as being separated by oceans from other regional rainforests, Sinharaja displays high level of endemism in the composition of both its flora and fauna. As such it warrants special protection. Indeed, the bulk of Sri Lanka's remarkable bio-diversity is concentrated in rainforests such as Sinharaja, along with those of the Peak Wilderness and the Knuckles Range. 22,000 acres in extent, the Sinharaja Rainforest amounts to only 10 percent of the remaining forest cover of the wet zone of Sri Lanka. Saved from a government sponsored logging operation in the mid-1970s, the rainforest was recognized as an international Man and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978 and declared a national wilderness area in 1988. The protection of Sinharaja was further strengthened by the subsequent inclusion of the rainforest in UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.

 Freshwater fishes

	Family	Scientific name	English name	Sinhala name	Status
1	Cyprinidae	Danio malabaricus	Malabar danio	Rath kailaya	N
2	Cyprinidae	Garra ceylonensis	Stone sucker	Gal pandiya	E
3	Cobitidae	Lepidocephalichthys jonklaasi	Jonklaas' s loach	Jonklasge ahirawa	E
4	Cyprinidae	Puntius bimaculatus	Redside barb	Ipilli kadaya	N
5	Cyprinidae	Puntius pleurotaenia	Black lined barb	Hithamassa	E
6	Cyprinidae	Rasbora caverii	Cauvery rasbora	Caveri dandiya	N

Amphibians

	Family	Scientific name	English name	Sinhala name	Status
1	Bufonidae	Adenomus kelaartii	Kelaart’s Smooth-finger Toad	Kelartge kuru gemba	E
2	Bufonidae	Bufo melanostictus	Common House Toad	Sulaba gei gemba	N
3	Ranidae	Rana temporalis	Sri Lanka Wood-frog	Sulaba badi-mediya	E
4	Ranidae	Philautus nasuts	Sharp-snout Pygmy Tree-frog	Ulhombu atikitta	E
5	Ranidae	Philautus sp.	Pygmy tree frog
6	Ranidae	Fejervarya limnocharis	Common Paddy Frog	Wel mediya	N
7	Ranidae	Lankanectus corrugatus	Corrugated water frog	Vakareli mediya	E

Reptiles

	Family	Scientific name	English name	Sinhala name	Status
1	Colubridae	Ahaetulla nasutus	Green vine snake	Ahaetulla	N
2	Colubridae	Ptyas mucosus	Rat snake	Gerandiya	E
3	Viperidae	Hypnale nepa	Millard's Hump-nosed Viper	Mukalan thelissa	E
4	Agamidae	Calotes calotes	Green Garden Lizard	Pala katussa	N
5	Agamidae	Calotes versicolor	Common Garden Lizard	Gara Katussa	N
6	Agamidae	Otocryptis wiegmanni	Sri Lanka Kangaroo Lizard	Pinum Katussa	E
7	Agamidae	Lyriocephalus scutatus	Hump-nosed Lizard	Karamal Bodiliya	E
8	Scincidae	Lankascincus sp.	Lankaskink	Lakhiraluwa	E
9	Scincidae	Mabuya sp.	Skink	Hikanala
10	Varanidae	Varanus salvator	Water Monitor	Kabaragoya	N
11	Gekkonidae	Cnemaspis kandiana	Kandyan Daygecko	Kandukara Divasarihuna	N
12	Gekkonidae	Hemidactylus brookii parvimaculatus	Spotted House Gecko	Pulli Gehuna	E
13	Gekkonidae	Gehyra mutilata	Fourclaw Gecko	Chaturanguli huna	N

Birds

	Family	Scientific Name	English Name	Sinhala Name	Status
1	Phasianidae	Gallus lafayefii	Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl	Wali Kukula	E
2	Corvidae	Urocissa ornata	Sri Lanka Blue Magpie	Kahi Bella	E
3	Bucerotidae	Ocyceros gingalensis	Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill	Alu Kaadathta	E
4	Sylvidae	Turdoides rufescens	Sri Lanka Orange Billed Babbler	Rathu demalichcha	E
5	Psittacidae	Loriculus beryllinus	Sri Lanka Lorikeet	Gira Malithta	E
6	Megalaimidae	Megalaima zeylanica	Brown- headed Barbet	Polose kottoruwa	N
7	Pycnonotidae	Iole indica	Yellow-browed Bulbul	Bamakaha Guluguduwa	N
8	Pycnonotidae	Pycnonotus cafer	Red vented Bulbul	Kondaya	N
9	Pycnonotidae	Pycnonotus melanicterus	Black-capped  Bulbul	Kalu Easasi kondaya	N
10	Accipitridae	Spizaetus nipalensis	Mountain Hawk-Eagle	Hel Konda ukussa	N
11	Accipitridae	Spilornis cheela	Crested Serpent Eagle	Silu sarpa ukussa	N
12	Sylviidae	Phylloscopus  magnirostris	Large billed leaf warbler	Mathudu gasravia	M
13	Sylviidae	Rhopocichla atriceps	Dark-fronted Babbler	Paduru demalichcha	N
14	Sylviidae	Turdoides affinis	Common Babbler	Demalichca	N
15	Sylviidae	Pomatorhinus horsfieldii	Scimitar Babbler	Daa-demalichcha	N
16	Meropidae	Merops philippinus	Blue-tailed Bee-eater	Nilpedha biguharaya	N
17	Muscicapidae	Muscicapa dauurica	Asian Brown fly- catcher	Bora masimara	M
18	Muscicapidae	Cyornis tickelliae	Orange breasted blue fly-catcher	Tickell nil masimara	N
19	Hirundinidae	Hirundo rustica	Barn swallow	Atu wahilihiniya	N
20	Corvidae	Dicrurus caerulescens	White bellied Drongo	Kawda	N
21	Corvidae	Oriolus xanthornus	Black Headed oriole	Kaha kurulla	N
22	Sturnidae	Acridotheres tristis	Common myna	Myna	N
23	Centropodidae	Centropus sinensis	Common Coucal	Ati kukula	N
24	Halcyonidae	Halcyon capensis	Stork-billed kingfisher	Manathudu madipilihudua	N
25	Halcyonidae	Ceyx erithacus	Three-toed kingfisher	Peradiga ran pilihuduwa	N
26	Halcyonidae	Halcyon smyrnensis	White-breasted kingfisher	Laya sudu pilihuduwa	N
27	Nectariniidae	Dicaeum agile	Thick-Billed flower picker	Pilichcha	N
28	Nectariniidae	Nactarinia asiatica	Purple sunbird	Dhum suttichca	N
29	Trogonidae	Harpactes fasciatus	Malabar Trogon	Loha wannichcha	N
30	Columbidae	Chalcophaps indica	Emerald Dove	Neela kobaeiya	N
31	Columbidae	Streptopelia chisnsis	Spotted Dove	Alu kobaeiya	N

Mammals

	Family	Scientific name	English name	Sinhala name	Status
1	Colobinae	Trachypithecus vetulus nestor	Western Purple-Faced Leaf Monkey	Kalu wandura	E
2	Scuridae	Funambulus palmarum	Ceylon Palm Squirrel	Lena	N
3	Murinae	Rattus rattus	Common House-Rat	Ge miya	I , N *
4	Viverridae	Viverricula indica	Ceylon Small Civet-Cat	Urulewa	N
5	Viverridae	Herpestes fuscus	Brown Mongoose	Dumburu mugatiya	N

* Some subspecies are native while some are introduced forms

E – Endemic , N – Native , I – Introduced , M – Migrant