3 Bird Sanctuaries to explore in Sri Lanka
An island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal and southeast of the Arabian Sea. It is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Sri Lanka's documented history spans 3,000 years, with evidence of prehistoric human settlements dating back at least 125,000 years.
A famous wintering ground for migratory waterbirds in Sri Lanka. Bundala shelter 197 kinds of birds, highlighting the greater flamingo, which migrates in large flocks. The Park designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1969 and got a redesign to a national park in January 1993 and become a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2005.
It is a national park located 197 km away from Colombo city. In April 2002, it was designated as a national park to become the 15th such in the country. Historically it was one of the 16 irrigation tanks built by King Mahasen and was reconstructed in 1959, now attracting and supporting a variety of plant and animal life, including large mammals, fish and reptiles.
Kumana National Park is famous for its avifauna, especially its large flocks of seasonal waterfowl and wading birds. The park lies 391 km southeast from Colombo on the southeastern coast and was closed from 1985 to March 2003 because of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam attacks. It was also affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.
