2026 BOC Meetings

In the first part of this illustrated talk, Author-Photographer Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne pointed out that the tropical island of Sri Lanka is disproportionately rich in species. He considered factors that drive high biodiversity and made the case that Sri Lanka is one of the best all-round wildlife destinations in the world. The talk also briefly outlined the top birdwatching and wildlife watching sites on the island, with a focus on the top sites for endemics.

The second part of the talk focused on Sri Lanka’s 34 endemic species of birds, where they are found and a few behavioural highlights. A diverse range of bird families in Sri Lanka have produced endemics ranging from the Sri Lanka Spurfowl to Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill to the montane endemic, Sri Lanka Whistling-thrush. Some are confined to small areas of habitats whilst some endemics such as the Sri Lanka Small Barbet and Sri Lanka Lesser Flameback continue to thrive even in large cities.

Biography: Gehan is amongst a handful of field naturalists in the world who have written and photographed field guides spanning terrestrial mammals, marine mammals, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, wild flowers and trees. His photographic field guide to the birds of Sri Lanka now in its second edition remains the only comprehensive photographic guide. He has been the Chair of the London Bird Club for ten years and is also a Trustee of the British Ornithologists’ Club. According to Rohan Pethiyagoda, an internationally renowned biodiversity explorer, ‘Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne is without question the most celebrated field naturalist Sri Lanka has produced’. British TV Naturalist Bill Oddie has said no single individual has done so much to publicise a country for its wildlife.