Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve is one of the three strict nature reserves in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, the only one in the wet zone. The reserve is an important although isolated

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

which supports a number of faunal species including some endemics. The area was designated a strict nature reserve on 25 February 1938. The reserve is adjacent to and contiguous with the

Hakgala Botanical Garden Hakgala Botanical Garden is one of the five botanical gardens in Sri Lanka. The other four are Peradeniya Botanical Garden, Henarathgoda Botanical Garden, Mirijjawila Botanical Garden and Seetawaka Botanical Garden. It is the second largest bo ...

which was founded in 1860.

Physical features

The Hakgala reserve covers an area of the altitude of which ranges from to at the summit of Hakgala peak. The reserve receives of mean annual rainfall with rain falling on 211 days of the year. The soil of the reserve consists of red-yellow

podsol In soil science, podzols are the typical soils of coniferous or boreal forests and also the typical soils of eucalypt forests and heathlands in southern Australia. In Western Europe, podzols develop on heathland, which is often a construct of huma ...

s this is due to the bookly. The reserve is situated on the south bank of Sita-Eliya and includes most of the Hakgala massif. The name of this range is derived from several of the peaks being said to have the shape of an elephant's jaw. In the Sinhala language ''Hak'' is jaw and ''Gala'' is rock.

Folklore

The nearby Sita Amman Hindu temple of Sita Eliya has a tradition that goes back to the legend of

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...

. According to folk legends, the demon king of

Lanka Lanka (, ) is the name given in Hindu epics to the island fortress capital of the legendary asura king Ravana in the epics of the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata''. The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks known ...

Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He a ...

, kept

Sita Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...

hidden in this area.

Flora

Vegetation of the reserve consists of montane cloud forests. These forests are noted for endemic archaic '' Hortonia floribunda'' and many

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

. Endemics of ''

Calophyllum walkeri ''Calophyllum walkeri'' is a species of flowering plant in the Calophyllaceae family. It is found only in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅka ...

'', ''

Syzygium rotundifolium ''Syzygium rotundifolium'' is a species of plant in the family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std ...

'', ''Elaeocarpus montanus'' are the common floral species of the reserve. In the

undergrowth Undergrowth usually refers to the vegetation in the lower part of a forest, which can obstruct passage through the forest. The height of undergrowth is usually considered to be 0.3 – 3 m (1 – 9 ft.). Undergrowth can also refer to all ...

many '' Strobilanthes'' species are common. According to height, the forest is categorised into two types; dwarf forests which is dominated by low growing ''Osbeckia buxifolia'' while taller forests featured by '' Rhododendron zeylanicum'' and ''Actinodaphne speciosa''.

Fauna

The reserve harbours many species of endemic mammals such as

purple-faced langur The purple-faced langur (''Semnopithecus vetulus''), also known as the purple-faced leaf monkey, is a species of Old World monkey that is endemic to Sri Lanka. The animal is a long-tailed arboreal species, identified by a mostly brown appearance, ...

toque macaque The toque macaque (; ''Macaca sinica'') is a reddish-brown-coloured Old World monkey endemic to Sri Lanka, where it is known as the ''rilewa'' or ''rilawa'' ( Sinhala: රිළවා), (hence "rillow" in the ''Oxford English Dictionary''). Its n ...

, mayor's mouse, Ohiya rat,

Kelaart's long-clawed shrew Kelaart's long-clawed shrew (''Feroculus feroculus'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is the only species within the genus ''Feroculus''. It is endemic to Sri Lanka and southern India. Its natural habitats are subtropical or t ...

Sri Lankan long-tailed shrew The Sri Lankan long-tailed shrew (''Crocidura miya'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is th ...

, and Pearson's long-clawed shrew. Some of these mammals are strictly endemic to this region. Sri Lanka leopard,

fishing cat The fishing cat (''Prionailurus viverrinus'') is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. Since 2016, it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Fishing cat populations are threatened by destruction of wetlands and have declin ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

, Sri Lankan sambar deer,

grizzled giant squirrel The grizzled giant squirrel (''Ratufa macroura'') is a large tree squirrel in the genus '' Ratufa'' found in the highlands of the Central and Uva provinces of Sri Lanka, and in patches of riparian forest along the Kaveri River and in the hill ...

red giant flying squirrel The red giant flying squirrel or common giant flying squirrel (''Petaurista petaurista'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae (squirrels). It is found in a wide variety of forest–types, plantations and more open habitats with scatter ...

, and pungent pipistrelle are some of the other mammals found in the reserve. The

Sri Lankan elephant The Sri Lankan elephant (''Elephas maximus maximus'') is native to Sri Lanka and one of three recognised subspecies of the Asian elephant. It is the type subspecies of the Asian elephant and was first described by Carl Linnaeus under the bi ...

was reported to be present in 1939. Avifauna of the reserve exhibits a high degree of variety and endemicity. Some of the noteworthy species include

mountain hawk-eagle The mountain hawk-eagle (''Nisaetus nipalensis'') or Hodgson's hawk-eagle, is a large bird of prey native to Asia. The latter name is in reference to the naturalist, Brian Houghton Hodgson, who described the species after collecting one himself ...

Sri Lanka junglefowl The Sri Lankan junglefowl (''Gallus lafayettii'' sometimes spelled ''Gallus lafayetii''), also known as the Ceylon junglefowl or Lafayette's junglefowl, is a member of the Galliformes bird order which is endemic (ecology), endemic to Sri Lanka, w ...

, Sri Lanka wood pigeon,

jungle nightjar The jungle nightjar (''Caprimulgus indicus'') is a species of nightjar found in the Indian Subcontinent. It is found mainly on the edge of forests where it is seen or heard at dusk. The taxonomy of this and related nightjars is complex and a rang ...

Sri Lanka blue magpie 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. I ...

yellow-eared bulbul The yellow-eared bulbul (''Pycnonotus penicillatus'') is a species of songbird in the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is an endemic resident breeder in the highlands of Sri Lanka. The common name is also used as an alternate name for the ye ...

, brown-capped babbler,

orange-billed babbler The orange-billed babbler (''Argya rufescens'') also known as Ceylon rufous babbler or Sri Lankan rufous babbler is a member of the family Leiothrichidae. The orange-billed babbler is a resident breeding bird endemic (ecology), endemic to Sri Lan ...

dull-blue flycatcher The dull-blue flycatcher (''Eumyias sordidus'') is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. It was previously included in the genus '' Muscicapa''. This species is an endemic resident breeder in the hills of central Sri ...

Sri Lanka bush warbler The Sri Lanka bush warbler (''Elaphrornis palliseri''), also known as Ceylon bush warbler or Palliser's warbler, is an Old World warbler which is an endemic (ecology), endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka, where it is the only bush warbler. Ta ...

, Sri Lanka whistling thrush,

spot-winged thrush The spot-winged thrush, (''Geokichla spiloptera''), is an Asian thrush, a group within the large thrush family Turdidae. It is an endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka. This uncommon species breeds in hill rainforests, and to a lesser extent ...

common blackbird The common blackbird (''Turdus merula'') is a species of true thrush. It is also called the Eurasian blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), or simply the blackbird where this does not ...

, and

Sri Lanka white-eye The Sri Lanka white-eye (''Zosterops ceylonensis'') is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family, which is endemic (ecology), endemic to Sri Lanka. It is a resident breeder in forests, gardens and plantations, mainly in the highlands. Taxo ...

. All five species of bird which are strictly endemic to this ecoregion are present in the reserve. Common birds are scarlet minivet,

small minivet The small minivet (''Pericrocotus cinnamomeus'') is a small passerine bird. This minivet is found in tropical southern Asia from the Indian subcontinent east to Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Sou ...

black bulbul The black bulbul (''Hypsipetes leucocephalus''), also known as the Himalayan black bulbul or Asian black bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found primarily in the Himalayas, its range stretching from India eastwar ...

, Sri Lanka scimitar babbler,

grey-headed canary-flycatcher The grey-headed canary-flycatcher (''Culicicapa ceylonensis''), sometimes known as the grey-headed flycatcher, is a species of small flycatcher-like bird found in tropical Asia. It has a square crest, a grey hood and yellow underparts. They are ...

pied bushchat The pied bush chat (''Saxicola caprata'') is a small passerine bird found ranging from West Asia and Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. About sixteen subspecies are recognized through its wide range with many island forms ...

, and Sri Lanka scaly thrush.

Indian pitta The Indian pitta (''Pitta brachyura'') is a passerine bird native to the Indian subcontinent. It inhabits scrub jungle, deciduous and dense evergreen forest. It breeds in the forests of the Himalayas, hills of central and western India, and migrat ...

Asian brown flycatcher The Asian brown flycatcher (''Muscicapa dauurica'') is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. The word ''Muscicapa'' comes from the Latin ''musca'', a fly and ''capere'', to catch. The specific ''dauurica'' refers to Dau ...

Kashmir flycatcher The Kashmir flycatcher (''Ficedula subrubra'') is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher, flycatcher family Muscicapidae. At one time it was considered to be a subspecies of the red-breasted flycatcher, ''Ficedula parva''. This is an ...

Indian blue robin The Indian blue robin (''Larvivora brunnea'') is a small bird found in the Indian Subcontinent. Formerly considered a Thrush (bird), thrush, it is now considered one of the Old World flycatchers in the family Muscicapidae. It was earlier also cal ...

pied thrush The pied thrush (''Geokichla wardii'') is a member of the thrush family found in India and Sri Lanka. The males are conspicuously patterned in black and white while the females are olive brown and speckled. They breed in the central Himalayan ...

black-throated munia The black-throated munia or Jerdon's mannikin (''Lonchura kelaarti'') is a small passerine bird. This estrildid finch is a resident breeding bird in the hills of southwest India, the Eastern Ghats and Sri Lanka. Habitat The black-throated m ...

, and

large-billed leaf warbler The large-billed leaf warbler (''Phylloscopus magnirostris'') is a species of leaf warbler (family Phylloscopidae). It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler Old World warblers are a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the ...

are amongst the large number of migratory species. Many endemic amphibians including ''

Adenomus kelaartii ''Adenomus kelaartii'' (Kelaart's toad or Kelaart's dwarf toad) is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka, where it is found in the south-west of the island at elevations between 30 and 1,230 m. The specific ...

'', ''

Polypedates cruciger ''Polypedates cruciger'' (commonly known as the Sri Lanka whipping frog or common hour-glass tree-frog) is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae Endemism, endemic to Sri Lanka. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests ...

'', '' Philautus microtympanum'', '' Philautus schmarda'', '' Ramanella palmata'', and ''

Microhyla zeylanica ''Microhyla zeylanica''. the Sri Lanka rice frog or Sri Lanka narrow-mouth frog, is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is Endemism, endemic to Sri Lanka. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, subtro ...

'' together with ''

Fejervarya limnocharis ''Fejervarya limnocharis'' is a species of frog found in South East Asia and parts of Indochina. It is known under many common names, including Boie's wart frog, rice field frog, and Asian grass frog. Molecular studies of the species complex (aft ...

'' and bronzed frog inhabit the reserve. Notable reptiles include '' Uropeltis melanogaster'', ''

Rhinophis blythii ''Rhinophis blythii'', or Blyth's earth snake, is a species of snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to the rain forests and grasslands of Sri Lanka. Etymology The specific name, ''blythii'', is in honor of English zoologist ...

'', ''Aspidura brachyorrhos'', ''A. trachyprocta'', ''

Hypnale nepa ''Hypnale nepa'', the Sri Lankan hump-nosed viper, Gloyd HK, Conant R. 1990. Snakes of the ''Agkistrodon'' Complex: A Monographic Review. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 614 pp. 52 plates. LCCN 89-50342. . is a venomous pitvipe ...

'',

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

s such as ''

Calotes nigrilabris ''Calotes nigrilabris'', the black-cheek lizard, is an Agamidae, agamid species endemic to Sri Lanka. It can be distinguished easily from Calotes liolepis, painted-lipped lizard by having black bar on mouth rather than white or orange bar. Distr ...

'', ''

Cophotis ceylanica ''Cophotis ceylanica'', the Ceylon deaf agama, is an Agamidae, agamid species endemic to Sri Lanka. Description Body is compressed. Head is narrow. Long dorso-nuchal crest developed. Temporal scales with 3 to 5 large conical scales. Tympanum ab ...

'', rhino horn lizard, and

skink Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Ski ...

species '' Sphenomorphus striatopunctatum''.

Conservation

Hakgala reserve is an important and isolated

, which supports a number of endemics; however, its small size and isolation is jeopardizing its long-term survival.

Illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...

by the farmers and dieback of the forest are the two major threats to the reserve. The reserve is one of the sites where

academic research Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...

is conducted. One study conducted within the reserve has revealed that soil toxicity is a probable cause of forest dieback. In addition to the above factors it is known that up to 25 percent of the area of the reserve has been encroached upon.

Bird species

Image:Hawkeagle.jpg,

Mountain hawk-eagle The mountain hawk-eagle (''Nisaetus nipalensis'') or Hodgson's hawk-eagle, is a large bird of prey native to Asia. The latter name is in reference to the naturalist, Brian Houghton Hodgson, who described the species after collecting one himself ...

Image:Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus)- Female at Jayanti, Duars, West Bengal W Picture 389.jpg, Scarlet minivet Image:Small Minivet (Pericrocotus cinnamomeus) near Hyderabad W IMG 7666.jpg,

Small minivet The small minivet (''Pericrocotus cinnamomeus'') is a small passerine bird. This minivet is found in tropical southern Asia from the Indian subcontinent east to Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Sou ...

Image:Luscinia brunnea.jpg,

References

{{Authority control Protected areas of Sri Lanka Protected areas established in 1938 Protected areas in Central Province, Sri Lanka Protected areas in Uva Province 1938 establishments in Ceylon

Physical features

Folklore

Flora

Fauna

Conservation

Bird species

See also

References