Sri Lanka Scimitar-Babbler
Sri Lanka Scimitar-BabblerSri Lanka Scimitar-BabblerSri Lanka Scimitar-BabblerSri Lanka Scimitar-Babbler

Sri Lanka Scimitar-Babbler

Pomatorhinus melanurus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
40–50% · Likely
overall probability at Sinharaja Forest Reserve
589 Verified records at Sinharaja Forest Reserve
September Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's active at dawn and dusk

The Sri Lanka scimitar babbler or Ceylon scimitar babbler (Pomatorhinus melanurus) is an Old World babbler. It is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka and was formerly treated as a subspecies of Indian scimitar babbler. The nominate form is found in the western part of wet hill regions of Sri Lanka, while race holdsworthi is found in the dry lowlands and eastern hills. Wikipedia →

40–50% of wildlife watchers report a Sri Lanka Scimitar-Babbler sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve, based on 589 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Sinharaja Forest Reserve

Dark-fronted Babbler

Dark-fronted Babbler

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Rhopocichla atriceps

40–50% · Likely
Tawny-bellied Babbler
LC

Tawny-bellied Babbler

Bird

Dumetia hyperythra

<5% · Rare
Square-tailed Bulbul
LC Endemic

Square-tailed Bulbul

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Hypsipetes ganeesa

70–80% · Very likely
Orange-billed Babbler

Orange-billed Babbler

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Turdoides rufescens

60–70% · Likely
Sri Lanka Drongo
LC

Sri Lanka Drongo

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Dicrurus lophorinus

60–70% · Likely
White-bellied Drongo
LC Endemic

White-bellied Drongo

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Dicrurus caerulescens

60–70% · Likely
Orange Minivet
LC

Orange Minivet

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Pericrocotus flammeus

60–70% · Likely
Black-capped Bulbul

Black-capped Bulbul

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Pycnonotus melanicterus

50–60% · Likely
Ceylon Magpie
VU

Ceylon Magpie

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Urocissa ornata

50–60% · Likely
Pale-billed Flowerpecker
LC Endemic

Pale-billed Flowerpecker

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Dicaeum erythrorhynchos

50–60% · Likely
Ceylon Myna
NT

Ceylon Myna

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Gracula ptilogenys

50–60% · Likely
Purple-rumped Sunbird
LC

Purple-rumped Sunbird

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Leptocoma zeylonica

50–60% · Likely

📅 Monthly Probability

40–50
Jan
40–50
Feb
40–50
Mar
30–40
Apr
50–60
May
20–30
Jun
30–40
Jul
40–50
Aug
50–60
Sep
30–40
Oct
30–40
Nov
40–50
Dec

🌅 When They're Spotted

Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)

🌅Crepuscular
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
50–60%
2 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
40–50%
3 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Sri Lanka Scimitar-Babbler in Sinharaja Forest Reserve?

About 41% of wildlife watchers report a Sri Lanka Scimitar-Babbler sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve, based on 589 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Sri Lanka Scimitar-Babbler in Sinharaja Forest Reserve?

September has the highest sighting rate for Sri Lanka Scimitar-Babbler in Sinharaja Forest Reserve in our monthly data.

← Back to Sinharaja Forest Reserve