The whistler in the woods

Sinharaja Rainforest 

Fun facts

Spend a little bit of time in the hill rainforests and you will soon learn to pick out the melodious voice of the Spot-winged thrush. It’s actually quite easy once it’s pointed out to you. A distinctive high pitched trill followed by an almost humanlike (but far more melodious) whistle is the signature call of this shy little bird. However, the prolific spotting and brown tones that cover this bird all over its body make it almost impossible to spot even if you track down its voice.

Did you know?

This singing idol of the bird world is endemic to Sri Lanka and is quite a solitary soul. Rarely (if ever) found below the 500m altitude level, this little bird prefers the early morning and evening twilight to burst into song. Curiously, despite hiding out in dense undergrowth most of the time, the omnivorous Spot-winged thrush prefers to feed on the ground.

Whereabouts

Although preferring the hill rainforests and even heading up as high as 2000m altitude, this little thrush has also been known to occasionally spend some time in the drier woodlands. However, one of the best places to encounter them and other wildlife would be the Explorer by Mahoora campsite in the Sinharaja Rainforest.