in Sri Lanka - Ministry of Environment

ThreatsIn Sri Lanka, wild birds are rarely exploited as a source of food. However, there is an emergingtrend which began in the recent past of capturing some of the species for the illegal pet trade.As in the case of all other taxa, habitat loss is the main threat faced by the birds of Sri Lanka.Nearly one third of all the resident birds in Sri Lanka are forest birds including all the endemicspecies. Out of the endemic birds, more than 60% are restricted to the forests in the wetzone. These forests are being rapidly depleted to support the needs of the burgeoning humanpopulation. Therefore, loss of forest cover and fragmentation of forests are the main threatsfaced by the birds of Sri Lanka. Wetlands are also an important bird habitat in Sri Lanka withnearly 25% of the resident birds and more than 75% of the migrants depend on such habitats.Many of these wetland habitats are adversely impacted due to conversion, changes in salinityand hydrology, pollution of water ways, spread of invasive species (e.g. spread of Prosopisjuliflora in Bundala and Wankalai, Annona glabra in Bellanwila-Attidiya), expansion of prawnfarming and salt production. As a result, species richness and the carrying capacity of manywetland habitats have declined rapidly. Even though land use change has impacted most birdspecies in a detrimental manner, some species such as Lonchura spp., Psittacula kramerii,Stigmatopelia chinensis, Corvus splendens, Centropus chinensis have shown a markedincrease in their range and numbers.Research NeedsCompared to other taxonomic groups, birds have received a great deal of attention from bothamateur and professional bird watchers. However, information available on birds is restrictedmostly to their distribution while, for most birds, especially the threatened species, informationon their biology and ecology is inadequate. This has been identified as a serious impedimentin formulating species specific conservation plans for threatened species in Sri Lanka. Eventhough the taxonomy of many species of birds have been revised based on regional revisions,a number of taxonomic issues, especially the status of the proposed endemic species, remainunresolved at present. While taking stringent measures to preserve the existing habitat,establishment of a captive breeding programme for the threatened endemic birds, preferablyin the National Zoological gardens as well as at such a facility in the hill country for the hillspecies, is also a critical need, if it becomes necessary in the future to conduct reintroductionor population enhancement as a conservation measure. Lastly, a systematic monitoringmechanism of the critical bird species, important bird habitats and large breeding coloniesneeds to be established for Sri Lanka.ReferencesAlström, P., (1998). Taxonomy of the Mirafra assamica complex. Forktail, 13, pp.97-107.Alström, P. & Olsson, U., (1999). The golden-spectacled warbler: a complex of sibling species, including a previouslyundescribed species. Ibis, 141, pp.545-568.AOU., (1998). Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. Washington, D.C.: American Ornithologists’Union.AOU., (2000). Forty-second supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds.The Auk, 117(3), pp.847-858.AOU., (2003). Forty-fourth supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds.The Auk, 120(3), pp.923-931.116