Kumana National Park and Bird Sanctuary is renowned for its impressive avifauna density, especially for its large flocks of migratory waterfowl and wading birds. Situated on the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka, 391 kilometres from Colombo, it is contiguous with Yala National Park and has a history dating back to the 3rd century BC.

The extensive birdlife of the park is supported by the Kumbukkan Oya, which fringes the southern boundary of the park, along with approximately 20 lagoons and tanks found within its borders. The park boasts an impressive total of 255 species of birds and is one of the most important nesting and breeding grounds for birds in Sri Lanka. Due to this reason, it was declared a bird sanctuary in 1938. Thousands of birds, including waterfowl, pintail snipe, Asian openbill, glossy ibis, purple heron, and egrets, migrate to Kumana from April to June. Rare species such as the black-necked stork, lesser adjutant, Eurasian spoonbill, and great thick-knee use the park as their breeding grounds.