Dull-blue Flycatcher
Dull only in name. In shade it looks grey, and one step into the sun it is blue.
Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush
The rarest and shyest of the hill birds. It keeps to dark, wet ravines at dawn and dusk, and many birders leave the island without seeing it.
Sri Lanka Thrush
It feeds in the dim, wet places beside forest streams. Scaled plumage breaks up its outline against the leaves.
Spot-winged Thrush
It sings from the shadows at first and last light, when the forest is at its darkest. Bring patience and a very high ISO.
Sri Lanka Myna
Compare the wattles with those of the common Hill Myna. They are smaller and sit further back, and that is how you know.
Sri Lanka Scimitar Babbler
Named for its bill. Pairs sing in such close duet that one bird can sound like two, or two like one.
Brown-capped Babbler
It walks through the leaf litter, the same colour as what it walks on. Its song gives it away long before its shape does.
Orange-billed Babbler
This noisy group is the heart of the Sinharaja mixed flock. When you find it, stop looking at it and start looking around it.
Sri Lanka White-eye
Small flocks move through the tree-tops without stopping. The ring round the eye is only visible for a moment.
Sri Lanka Bush Warbler
Possibly the plainest bird on this list, which is why it is the one that teaches you most. It keeps to the dense undergrowth of the highest forests.