Bundala National Park is situated on the south east coast near Hambantota, 256 kilometers from Colombo. It stretches nearly 20 km along a coastal strip, and is 6,216 hectares in extent. This makes it a small park in comparison to Yala and others, but high concentrations of mammal and bird species means that it is one of the best places to view a good proportion of Sri Lanka’s wildlife. The park consists mainly of dry thorny scrub jungle and lagoons. The shallow brackish lagoons (lewayas) located within the park - Koholankala (390 hectares), Malala (650 hectates), Embilikala (430 hectares) and Bundala (520 hectares) - form a complex wetland system harbouring in particular a rich bird life, including many species of migratory waterfowl.

The history of Bundala as a conservation area began in 1969, when it was declared a sanctuary. Then in 1992 it was upgraded to a national park. Sri Lanka is a signatory to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance for Migratory Waterfowl, known simply as the Ramsar Convention. The high species richness of birds associated with Bundala resulted in it being declared as Sri Lanka’s first Ramsar site in 1990.

Flora
There are stands of scrub forest comprising such species as maila (Bauhinia racemosa), maliththan or mustard tree (Salvadora persica) - leopards love to lie in the branches of this tree - weera (Drypetes sepiaria) and palu (Manilkara hexandra). However, the arid vegetation consists mostly of grass flats studded with scrub jungle. Marshes and streams contain water hyacinth and water lilies.

Fauna
Other species present at Bundala include the toque monkey (Macaca sinica), the Sri Lanka grey langur (Semnopithecus priam thersites), Sri Lanka jackal (Canis aureus), Sri Lanka leopard (Panthera pardus), Indian fishing cat (Felis viverrini), Sri Lanka rusty-spotted or rubiginous cat (Felis rubiginosa), Indian wild boar (Sus scrufa cristatus), barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak malabaricus), mouse deer (Tragulus meminna), Sri Lanka spotted deer (Axis axis ceylonensis), Sri Lanka sambhur (Cervus unicolour unicolour), Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), Sri Lanka giant squirrel (Ratufa macroura), Sri Lanka small civet-cat (Viverricula indica mayori), and the Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica).

 
Avifauna
A total of 197 species of bird have been recorded in the park, including two endemic species, the Sri Lanka brown-capped babbler (Pellorneum fuscocapillum) and the Sri Lanka jungle fowl (Gallus lafayetti). The rare black-necked stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus), the white-bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) and the brahminy kite (Haliastur indus indus) are breeding residents. Other species include cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis), intermediate egret (Mesophoyx intermedia), great egret (Casmerodius albus), Eurasian spoonbill (Platalia leucordia), black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus), and yellow-wattled lapwing (Vanellus malabaricus).

Migratory species include the capion plover (Charadrius asiaticus), ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula), common redshank (Tringa totanus), broad-billed sandpiper (Limicola falcinellus falcinellus), buff-breasted sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis), red-necked phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus), common avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), and Eurasian oyster-catcher (Haematopus ostralegus). The most magnificent of the migratory species is the greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber roseus), which can be seen in large numbers - sometimes several thousand - during the northeast monsoon (October-December).

Reptiles
Noteworthy reptiles present at Bundala include the Sri Lanka swamp crocodile (Crocodylus palustris), Sri Lanka estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), water monitor or kabaragoya (Varanus bengalensis) and star tortoise (Testude elegans). Snakes include the rare sand boa (Eryx conicus) - a subterranean species - the Indian python or pimbura (Python molurus), common rat snake or garandiya (Coluber mucosus), Forsten’s cat snake (Boiga forsteni) - a striking red snake that constricts its prey - as well as the venomous saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus) and Russell’s viper or tic-polonga (Daboia russellii).

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