2. Gira Maliththa or Pol Girawa



Common Name:   Sri Lanka hanging parrot

Scientific Name:   Loriculus beryllinus

Animal Family:   Psittaculidae

Description:   The Sri Lanka hanging parrot is a small hanging parrot that is 13cm long with a short tail. The adult has a red crown and rump. The nape and back have orange tint. The chin and throat are pale blue. Male has variable amounts of orange and red on the crown and a large orange chest patch, whereas the female has a bluish face. Not the long, pointed upper bill. Similar in length to Guayabera, but longer tailed and smaller- bodied. Females are involved in building the nest while males mostly remain close, observing the females. Breeding season includes the first part of the year and sometimes July-September.

Population:   Sri Lankan hanging parrot is a bird of open forest. It is strictly arboreal, never descending to the ground. It nests in holes in trees laying 2-3 eggs.

Found where:   Typically found in ones or twos in the canopy of forests in the Wet Zone. Confined to Sri Lanka, where the extremely small size and short tail make it easily identified from all other parrots on the island.

Habitat:   Wooded country, groves , plantation,  coconut  groves and gardens up to 1250 m , reaching 1600 m in NE monsoon.

Food:   It undergoes local movement, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit, seeds, buds, and blossoms that make up its diet.

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