Urocissa ornata
Silhouette: Lip Kee Yap (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The Sri Lanka blue magpie or Ceylon magpie (Urocissa ornata) is a brightly coloured member of the family Corvidae, found exclusively in Sri Lanka. This species is adapted to hunting in the dense canopy, where it is highly active and nimble. Its flight is rather weak, though, and is rarely used to cover great distances. In spite of its ability to adapt to the presence of humans, it is classified as vulnerable to extinction due to the fragmentation and destruction of its habitat of dense primary forest in the wet zone of southern Sri Lanka.
The Sri Lanka blue magpie measures 42–47 cm (17–19 in) in length, which is larger than a mynah, but smaller than a crow. It has a sturdy bill. Its plumage is bright blue, with a reddish-brown or chestnut head, neck, and wing. The blue tail is long and graduated, with a white tip. The bill, legs, feet, and featherless eye ring of this species are all vibrant red. Both the male and female of the species share this description. The juvenile of this species has a plumage similar to that of an adult, but overall duller, with a brown eye ring and a greyish hue to its blue feathers, especially on its underside. Its moulting season is from... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Ceylon Magpie sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 1,244 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 156 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.
September
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Ceylon Magpie in Sinharaja Forest Reserve on a given day, against about 40% in June, the lowest month.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ceylon Magpie sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Only Sinharaja Forest Reserve, in our data
Sinharaja Forest Reserve is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Ceylon Magpie sightings: about 60% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ceylon Magpie is recorded against all the birds logged in Sinharaja Forest Reserve (1,244 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.
