The Sri Lanka woodshrike is a species of bird in the family Vangidae. It is found on Sri Lanka. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the common woodshrike.
Region
South Asia
Typical Environment
Endemic to Sri Lanka, occurring widely in dry and intermediate lowlands and foothills. It favors forest edges, open woodland, scrub, and well-treed gardens and plantations. The species uses midstory to canopy levels but will also descend to lower strata at forest margins. It is generally more common outside dense, closed-canopy wet-zone forest.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Sri Lanka woodshrike is a small, active forest-edge bird endemic to Sri Lanka and often placed with the vangas (Vangidae). It is sometimes treated as a subspecies of the common woodshrike but is now widely recognized as distinct. Pairs frequently keep in contact with clear, whistled calls and may join mixed-species flocks while foraging.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with quick, direct dashes between perches
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small family groups and often accompanies mixed-species flocks. Both sexes participate in nest building and care for the young. Nests are typically shallow cups placed on horizontal forks in trees.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Voice is a series of clear, whistled phrases and sweet two- to three-note calls. Pairs may exchange antiphonal whistles that carry well through open woodland.
Plumage
Compact, ashy-brown upperparts with paler, lightly streaked underparts and a clean, neat appearance. Shows a contrasting white supercilium and darker eyestripe, with a pale wing panel and whitish tail edges. Feathers are smooth and close-fitting, giving a tidy, shrike-like profile.
Diet
Primarily feeds on insects such as beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, mantises, and bugs; also takes spiders and other small arthropods. Forages by sally-gleaning from exposed perches, making short flights to snatch prey from leaves and branches. Occasionally hawks prey in midair and probes bark or epiphytes for concealed insects.
Preferred Environment
Feeds along forest edges, in open woodland, scrub, and well-wooded gardens where visibility from perches is good. Often uses midstory and canopy perches, shifting to lower levels along edges and clearings.
