Sinharaja rain forest is a tropical low land rain forest or tropical wet evergreen forest located in southern province in Sri Lanka. Sinharajaya rain forest is the only remaining virgin rain forest in Sri Lanka and one of the few virgin forests left in the world. It was declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988, because of the ecological and biodiversity value of the jungle. Average annual rain fall of Sinharajaya forest is 3000 – 6000mm. Annual temperature of the area is 23C^o. Total land area covering the forest about 11187 hectares. Starting elevation from 271m up to 1171m from mean sea level.

                   Sinharajaya is a rich treasure trove of nature with a great diversity of habitats. It is home to 95% of endemic birds of Sri Lanka. It is 22 in numbers. Most popular endemic birds within the area are as follows,

                   1. Sri Lankan blue magpie ( Cissa ornata)

                   2. Red faced malkoha (Phaenicophaeus yrrhocephalus)

                   3. Asly headed laughing thrush ( Garrulax cinereifrons)

                   4. White faced strling ( Sturnus albofrontatus)

                   5. Green billed coucal ( Centropus chlororhynchos)

The common birds can be seen in the forest area are as follows,

                   1. Ceylon jungle Fowl (national bird) –(Gallus lafayettii)

                   2. Ceylon spur Fowl (Galloperidix bicalcarata)

                   3. Ceylon wood pigeon (Columba torringtonii)

                   4. Yellow fronted Barbet (Megalaima flavifrons)

                   5. Chestnut backed owlet (Glaucidium castanotum)

Types of vertebrates	No of species in Sri Lanka	No of species in Sinharajaya	No of endemic species in Sri Lanka	No of endemic species in Sinharajaya
Mammals	85	39	12	8
Birds	384	147	33	22
Snakes	65	16	34	6
Fish	59	11	16	3
Amphibians	37	20	19	10
Tetra pods	79	29	38	15

139 varieties of trees and creepers out of 211 within the Sinharajaya forest are endemic, as a percentage it is 66.

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