In Search of the Serendib Scops Owl | Birdwatching Sri Lanka - Kitulgala 2025 (Part 1/5)

Sri Lanka is a true paradies for birdwatchers due to the high number of endemic species that live exclusively on the island. Out of the 500+ bird species, 35 are endemic to Sri Lanka and can not be found anywhere else. Famously the serendib scops owl that was only discovered recently in 2001 and scientifically described in 2004. This small owl is one of the most wanted birds in Sri Lanka. It can be found in the Makandawa Forest in Kitulgala and it was on top of our wish list. During our stay in Kitulgala and the Makandawa Forest we were lucky to find 14 endemics of Sri Lanka and 46 different species of birds in total. But we did not only find birds, but also snakes and lizards were frequently spotted during our excursions. Welcome to our three week journey to Sri Lanka in December 2025 and January 2026. In part 1 of our documentary we stayed 4 nights at the beautiful Moksha Boutique Hotel in Kitulgala. We would like to thank our amazing guide Upul Wickramashinghe for this unforgettable experience. All animal species names can be found in the video subtitles [CC] or in the description below. With best regards, Sandra and Markus ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Species list: 00:35 Purple-rumped sunbird 00:40 Emerald dove 00:50 Orange-billed babbler 01:09 Indian white-eye 01:19 Orange minivet 01:33 Yellow-billed babbler 01:43 Three-striped palm squirrel 01:57 Green imperial pigeon 02:02 Lesser yellownape 02:11 White-rumped munia 02:26 Crested honey buzzard 02:31 Spotted dove 02:52 Loten's sunbird 03:11 Black bulbul 03:31 Layard's parakeet 04:09 Purple sunbird 04:44 Green garden lizard 05:03 Sri Lanka grey hornbill 05:17 Common myna 05:22 Red-backed flameback 05:31 Alexandrine parakeet 05:36 White-throated kingfisher 05:46 Black bat flower 06:00 White-bellied sea eagle 06:20 Stork-billed kingfisher 07:27 Red-vented bulbul 08:34 Sri Lankan pit viper 08:53 Sri Lanka frogmouth 09:03 Serendib scops owl 09:22 Brown-capped babbler 09:41 Sri Lankan green vine snake 09:51 Sri Lanka bronze skink 09:56 Sri Lankan kangaroo lizard 10:00 Brown-breasted flycatcher 10:15 Sri Lanka hanging parrot 10:44 Toque macaque 10:58 Lantern bug 11:12 Brahminy kite 11:17 Sri Lanka swallow 11:32 Chestnut-backed owlet 12:09 Black-capped bulbul 12:36 White-bellied drongo 12:49 Black-hooded oriole 13:21 Crested serpent eagle 13:39 Oriental magpie-robin 14:14 Yellow-browed bulbul 14:27 Sri Lanka drongo 15:57 Hump-nosed lizard 16:24 Indian pitta 17:58 Spot-winged thrush 18:29 Green-billed coucal 19:32 Southern hill myna 19:55 Common tailorbird 20:13 Sri Lankan junglefowl 20:44 Tickell's blue flycatcher 21:02 Chestnut-headed bee-eater 21:20 Yellow-fronted barbet ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapters in this video: 00:00 Arriving in Kitulgala and first Excursion 04:25 Makandawa Forest Hike 11:52 Roadside Birding 14:54 Makandawa Village Hike ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #srilanka #kitulgala #makandawa #birdwatching