The Complete List of Endemic Species Of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s islands and varied habitats support a rich mix of plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth. From humid lowlands to cool montane forests, many species have evolved in isolation, creating a shortlist worth paying attention to when studying the island’s biodiversity.

There are 21 Endemic Species Of Sri Lanka, ranging from Amboli bush frog to Yellow-fronted barbet. Each entry below is organized with Scientific name, Taxon, IUCN status so you can quickly see taxonomy and conservation risk — you’ll find the full list below.

How current and reliable is this list, and where does the data come from?

The list compiles recent field guides, published checklists and IUCN assessments where available; dates and sources vary by species, so check the IUCN or primary literature links for the latest status and range information before using the data for research or planning.

How should I use the Scientific name, Taxon, and IUCN status columns when looking for species in the field?

Use the Scientific name for precise identification, the Taxon to understand related groups and likely habitats, and the IUCN status to prioritize species of conservation concern; pairing those columns with local guidebooks or a field guide app makes field searches and reporting much easier.

Endemic Species of Sri Lanka

Images and Descriptions

Toque macaque

A distinctive reddish-brown monkey found across Sri Lanka’s forests and human-modified landscapes; notable for its expressive face and cultural importance, often seen in coastal and lowland habitats but threatened by habitat loss and conflict with people.

Purple-faced langur

An arboreal leaf-eating monkey confined to Sri Lanka’s wet-zone forests and fragmented woodlands; notable for its dark face and orange fur, highly threatened by deforestation and urban expansion across the southwest.

Red slender loris

A small nocturnal primate of Sri Lanka’s rainforests and some plantations; notable for large reflective eyes and slow deliberate movements, vulnerable from habitat loss, capture, and road mortality.

Sri Lanka junglefowl

Sri Lanka’s wild chicken, found in lowland and hill forests across the island; notable as the national bird and ancestor of domestic chickens, it persists widely but faces local hunting and habitat pressures.

Sri Lanka blue magpie

A striking long-tailed, cobalt-blue bird of dense wet-zone forests in southwestern Sri Lanka; notable for noisy flocks and striking color, highly vulnerable to forest clearance and fragmentation.

Painted spurfowl

A secretive ground-dwelling bird of dense lowland and montane forests; notable for its ornate plumage and shy behavior, surviving in remaining forest patches but sensitive to disturbance.

Ceylon wood pigeon

A large, montane forest pigeon found mainly in Sri Lanka’s central highlands; notable for its loud calls and slow flight, threatened by habitat loss and hunting in remaining cloud forests.

Sri Lanka hanging parrot

A small, bright green parrot inhabiting lowland and foothill forests and gardens across Sri Lanka; notable for acrobatic hanging flights and noisy chatter, commonly seen but vulnerable to trapping locally.

Layard’s parakeet

A medium-sized parakeet of Sri Lanka’s forests and scrublands, named after a 19th-century naturalist; notable for its loud calls and flocks in hill country, impacted by habitat change and trapping.

Yellow-fronted barbet

A chunky forest-dwelling barbet of Sri Lanka’s wet-zone, recognizable by bright facial markings and drumming; notable cavity nester, declining due to forest loss and fragmentation.

Ceylon white-eye

A small, sociable bird with a white eye-ring found in a variety of Sri Lankan habitats from lowlands to hills; notable for active flocks and insectivorous habits, common but habitat-sensitive.

Sri Lanka hill myna

A glossy black myna endemic to Sri Lanka’s forests and plantations; notable for vocal mimicry and striking yellow wattles, population declines driven by trapping and forest clearance.

Ceylon birdwing

The largest endemic butterfly of Sri Lanka, found in lowland and montane forests where its larval foodplants grow; notable for dramatic black-and-yellow wings and popularity among butterfly watchers.

Ceylon krait

A highly venomous nocturnal snake restricted to Sri Lanka’s wet and intermediate zones; notable for banded black-and-white pattern and shy nature, faces habitat loss and human persecution.

Blunt-headed agama

An arboreal agamid lizard of Sri Lanka’s montane and submontane forests; notable for a flattened head and territorial displays, restricted to high-elevation forest remnants and sensitive to clearing.

Hump-nosed lizard

A unique, helmet-headed agamid found in lowland and hill rainforests of Sri Lanka; notable for dramatic throat display and terrestrial habits, threatened by deforestation and fragmentation.

Sri Lanka keelback

A freshwater snake endemic to Sri Lankan lowland streams and marshes; notable for semi-aquatic habits and patterned body, reliant on healthy waterways and wetland protection.

Sri Lanka rock frog

A small stream-side frog restricted to rocky mountain streams in the central highlands; notable for its flattened body and cryptic coloration, extremely range-restricted and critically endangered from habitat change.

Amboli bush frog

A small shrub frog endemic to Sri Lanka’s wet-zone forests and nearby plantations; notable for direct development (no tadpole stage) and leaf-litter habits, threatened by habitat loss.

Sri Lanka swan mussel

A large freshwater mussel found only in Sri Lanka’s rivers and reservoirs; notable for filtering role in freshwater ecosystems, vulnerable from pollution, damming and water extraction.

Black-naped monarch (Sri Lanka race)

An island-endemic form of the monarch flycatcher restricted to Sri Lanka’s forests; notable for slender blue body and insect-hunting, threatened by habitat loss and forest fragmentation.

Endemic Species in Other Countries