Deepal Warakagoda is a prominent Sri Lankan ornithologist. His early working career was in electronics, but for many years he has studied birds and also works as a professional guide for birding tours of the island. He is mostly known for his records as the ornithologist who has seen the greatest amount of species in Sri Lanka. Deepal Warakagoda is also one of the major roles of the Ceylon birds club. He works hard to conserve natural sights and fauna in Sri Lanka and has his own career experience for over 25 years.
Discoveries
He discovered a new species of bird endemic to Sri Lanka, the Serendib Scops owl. His expertise in vocalizations had enabled him to realize that an owl he heard calling near Kitulgalarain forest was an unknown species, and he later saw this bird in January 2001 in the Sinharaja rain forest with assistance of a few. He surrounded the bird's habitat and took photographs while it was roosting under a thick bush. This new found species of Scops owls are now on the IUCN red list. He has also identified 15 new migrant species of birds in Sri Lanka, and has published a large number of articles on the avifauna of Sri Lanka.
Creations and experiences
Warakagoda is Sri Lanka's foremost sound recordist in natural history subjects, and has produced and published the only comprehensive audio guide to the island's birds. He has an unmatched knowledge of Sri Lanka's bird songs and calls. His recordings of the island's distinct bird species have played a major role in the recognition of several of them as endemic to Sri Lanka in the book Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide by Pamela C. Rasmussen and John C. Anderton. Although best known for his knowledge of the avifauna of Sri Lanka, and expertise in finding and identifying birds, his knowledge extends to the island's mammals and butterflies. Warakagoda founded the Drongo Nature Sounds Library, the only one of its kind in Sri Lanka, and is joint secretary of the Ceylon Bird Club. He is a national coordinator in Sri Lanka for the Asian Waterbird Census. He is a founder of Bird and Wildlife Team, a company specializing in natural history tours of Sri Lanka and India, and works as one of its tour leaders, he is also a leading tour guide of the organization 'Wings birds' He is currently working on several new publications in the print and audio/video media, for the betterment of the future of bird watching in Sri Lanka.
