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Asian koel

The Asian koel is a large member of cuculidae family and like many of its related cuckoo kin is a brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nest of crows.  Asian koel are many mainly resident breeders in Southern Asia from Iran, India, Bangladesh and Srilanka. They inhabit light woodlands, shrubby areas with scattered trees, gardens and urban areas.  These type of birds are usually more often heard than seen. they spend their time singly or pair hiding in the dense canopy. They are very vocal especially during the breeding season, making range of different calls.  The breeding season of Asian koels varies depending on location. It usually occurs from March to August. female birds lay their eggs in the nests of other large birds, including crows, shrikes and starlings. Adults male are glossy black with doll lime-green bill and females and immature blackish brown with white dots on the wings and strong streaking on head and throat. Adults have ruby red eyes. The Asian koel is omnivorous,
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Asian Water Monitor

  The Asian water monitor is a large varanid lizard native to South & Southeast Asia. The bodies of Asian water monitor are muscular with long powerful, laterally compressed tails. This species is also denoted by the blackish band with yellow edges extending back. from each eye. These type of lizard are mostly distributed from india, Bangladesh, Srilanka, myanmar and Thailand, Cambodia, malaysiya & singapore. They are excellent swimmers. Using the raised fin on their tails to steer through water. Asian water monitors are carnivores & consume a wide range of prey. They mostly eat fish, frog, rodents, birds, crabs and snakes. They have keen sense of small and can small a carcass from far away. The asian water monitor is one of the most exploited varanids. Its skin is used for fashion accessories. Such as shoes, belts and hand bags, and it play a very important role in their ecosystem as they are one of the only large land carnivores. Photo Credits: Sirojan Written By: T.Kobig

Indian Cormorant

"Law is a Bottomless-Pit, it is a Cormorant, a Harpy, that devours every thing." - John Arbuthnot The Indian cormorant species is distributed in India, Pakistan, Srilanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. It's scientific name is Phalacrocorax fuscicollis. These type of birds are mostly in medium size, measuring 60cm in length and weighing 600g to 700g. These birds have a long tail and long thin bill ending in hooked tip. A characteristic of the birds is the blue colour of the eyes. It is bronze brown coloured and the uppon plumage is scalloped in black. Breeding bird have a short white ear tuft. These bird nest on half submerged trees and trees in island. the nest is built with twigs. The usual clutel is three to five eggs. These cormorant is a resident bird and moves locally in search of feed and water bodies. Indian Cormorant birds feed mainly on fish and catch the pray by driving in the water. They are seen moving in a formation to corner fish. Habitat degra

Great Egret

"  I woke up wanting to read a poem by that name, and I found one with a lifeguard's chair, a broken shell, gulls watching  egrets , home an ocean away ." -  Author: Michael Broder  Great egrets were hunted nearly to extinction for than plums in the late nineteenth century. These type of birds are dazzling sight in many a North American wetland. lanky, large long necked with heron, size and black legs help separate from other egrets. Great egret live in fresh water, brackish and marine wetlands.  During the breeding season they live in colonies in tree or shrubs with other waterbirds. they are eat mainly small fish but also eats amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals and invertebrates.    Males choose the display areas, where nest are later constructed. The nest itself is up to 100 feet off the land. The male builds a nest platform from long sticks and twigs before pairing up with a female and the both pairing up with a female and then both members.  The egrets walks

The Upturned reality of Srilankans

"There is no more dangerous menace to civilization than a government of incompetent, corrupt or vile men" -Ludwig Von Mises- The current times in Srilanka are reminiscent of the early 1970s, when the country was fighting for its survival amid crippling food Shortage.  The island nation is grappling with what is said to be its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948. It is caused to pay for fuel imports with power cuts lasting half a day or more and shortages of food, medicine and fuel. public anger has reached a new high. Reference Prices of basic needs are skyrocking, suffocating people to breathe. Furious Citizens of the nation have taken the Streets protesting against the failed government to resolve the prevailing economic crisis. It's the people who are bearing the burnt of the crisis as the domestic situation turns increasingly grim. Across the island bubbling with anger and desperation, the chants and the placards are being held by the people

White-throated kingfisher

  “Heavenly bodies are nests of invisible birds.” ―  Dejan Stojanovic The White-throated kingfisher also known as the white- breasted kingfisher or Smyrna kingfisher is a tree kingfisher widely distributed in Asia from the Sinai east through the Indian subcontinent to China and Indonesia. This kingfisher is a resident over much of its range, although some populations may make short distance movements. It can be found well away from water where it feeds on a wide range of prey that includes small reptiles, crabs, small rodents and even birds. During the breeding season they call loudly in the mornings from prominent perches including the tops of buildings in the urban areas or on wires. White- throated kingfishers average life span is   five years and six months. White-throated kingfishers have thick, reddish-orange bills, red legs and dark chocolate-coloured heads, bellies and shoulders. A brilliant white patch can be found on the throat and sometimes the breast. The wings and tail a

Cattle egret bubulcus ibis

  “This is wonderful, wonderful! Be the bird. You are the bird. Sacrifice yourself to abandoned family values....” ―  Laurie Halse Anderson,  Speak The Cattle  egret cosmopolitan species of heron and this type of birds are mostly lived in warm temperate zone like Asia, Africa and Europe countries. The Cattle egret is a small white heron about 19-21 inches in length with a wingspan of about three feet it has short legs and thick neck compared to other species of egrets adult have dull yellow and orange bills and legs. During breeding season it has a brownish crown and chest and its eyes, legs and bill are red. Cattle egret are very social and they gather in large colonies of Cattle egrets and other bird species. This type of species eats insects that are stirred up by wild animals like grasshoppers, crickets, spiders and flies.  Photo Credits: Sirojan Written By: T.Kobiga 

Potentilla indica

“Time spent amongst trees is never wasted time.” - Katrina Mayer Potentilla indica  known commonly as  mock strawberry ,   Indian-strawberry ,  or  false strawberry ,  often referred to as a  backyard strawberry.  According to the F ood and Drug  Administration ,  "Mock , or  Indian strawberries" , while possibly less delicious than wild strawberries, don't produce toxicity when ingested". Some guides say that they are poisonous but  that's false , a bellyache maybe if you eat too many. Believe it or not, this little fellow is an exotic invasive in many areas. It's believed to have originated in  China  and  Japan  and the  tropical Asian region of India  and  Southeast Asia. Photo Credits: Sirojan Written By: Afra Banu

Silver cock's comb

Ageratum conyzoides

Indian star tortoise

St. Anthony's Shrine, Kochchikade

St. Anthony's Shrine, Kochchikade Catholic church in Colombo

Cogon grass

• Beautiful Demoiselle

Nature of batticaloa

• Solanum trilobatum

Kandy - Jaffna HighWay

• Cascabela thevetia

• Shoeblackplant

 

• Bougainvillea spectabilis

 

• Moss-rose purslane

 

•Adenium obesum

  Adenium obesum is a poisonous species of flowering plant belonging to tribe Nerieae of subfamily Apocynoideae of the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, that is native to the Sahel regions, south of the Sahara, and tropical and subtropical eastern and southern Africa and Arabia.

•Madagascar Periwinkle

 • Madagascar Periwinkle Catharanthus roseus, commonly known as bright eyes, Cape periwinkle, graveyard plant, Madagascar periwinkle, old maid, pink periwinkle, rose periwinkle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is native and endemic to Madagascar, but grown elsewhere as an ornamental and medicinal plant.

•Wedelia chinensis

 

•Forest reserve

 

•Sri Lankan Axis Deer

 • Sri Lankan Axis Deer The Sri Lankan axis deer or Ceylon spotted deer is a subspecies of axis deer that inhabits only Sri Lanka. The name chital is not used in Sri Lanka. Its validity is disputed, and some maintain that the axis deer is monotypic.

•Common daisy

Bellis perennis is a common European species of daisy, of the family Asteraceae, often considered the archetypal species of that name. Many related plants also share the name "daisy", so to distinguish this species from other daisies it is sometimes qualified as common daisy, lawn daisy or English daisy.   

•Green Tree ANT