Horton Plains Chimney Pool (Arrenga Pool): Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush twilight habitat?
What montane stream cascades and dense dwarf cloud-forest canopies sustain the elusive endemic Whistling Thrush near Chimney Pool on Horton Plains?
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3 Answers from travellers
Chimney Pool (also known to ornithologists as Arrenga Pool) is a shaded, tumbling montane stream pool located along the upper headwaters of the Belihul Oya within Horton Plains. This spray-drenched, rocky stream ravine represents the prime micro-habitat for the critically endangered endemic Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush (Myophonus blighi / Arrenga). Restricted to elevations above 1,800m, this secretive bird forages among submerged boulders and moss carpets for endemic freshwater crabs (Perbrinckia) and aquatic insect larvae during deep dawn and dusk twilight.
Birders position themselves quietly along the culvert bridge at first light (5:45 AM to 6:30 AM), listening for its piercing, high-pitched metallic whistle.
Trout introduced during the British colonial era compete with native aquatic fauna, so park wardens monitor stream biomass to protect amphibian prey bases.
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