Birds attract the attention of the general public more than any other group of animals due to their striking colour patterns, wide range of behaviour and migratory habits. Keeping track of migratory birds and their habits is an interesting part of bird watching, especially in Sri Lanka which is the final destination for most of these creatures looking to escape the frosty northern climes.
There is a large diversity of birds in Sri Lanka consisting of 492 separate species; 220 species are considered breeding residents, and 127 species are classified as winter visitors. The count of endemic bird species has varied over the years; currently, 28 species have been defined as endemic species. Although it has not been taxonomically verified, Rasmussen & Anderton, in 2005 noted that there are 33 endemic species including 5 taxonomy dependent endemic species.