Columba torringtoniae
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The Sri Lankan wood pigeon or Ceylon wood pigeon (Columba torringtoniae) is a pigeon which is an endemic resident breeding bird in the mountains of Sri Lanka. This species nests in damp evergreen woodlands in the central highlands, building a stick nest in a tree and laying a single white egg. Its flight is quick, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general. Most of its food is vegetable. Normally silent it utters an owl-like hoo call in the breeding season.
The Sri Lanka wood pigeon is 36 cm in length. Its upperparts and tail are dark grey, and the head and underparts are lilac, becoming paler on the belly. There is a black-and-white chessboard pattern on the nape. This pigeon can be quite easily seen in the woods of the Horton Plains National Park.
The Sri Lanka wood pigeon is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka, where it is found in primary montane forest, generally above 3,000 ft (910 m). This wood-pigeon in a 25c Sri Lankan postal stamp. BirdLife Species Factsheet Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horton Plains National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon sighting in Horton Plains National Park on a given day, based on 320 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 18th most-seen of the 102 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon in Horton Plains National Park on a given day, against about 30% in April–June and August, the lowest months. That is one of Horton Plains National Park's driest months, with about 90 mm of rain against 370 mm in October.
Between 2 and 5 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon sightings, Horton Plains National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Sinharaja Forest Reserve (Sri Lanka, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon is recorded against all the birds logged in Horton Plains National Park (320 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
