Kumana National Park in Sri Lanka is renowned as the final destination of migratory birds of the northern hemisphere, especially the large flocks of migratory waterfowls and wading birds.  Kumana NP is one of the bird nesting grounds in Sri Lanka with a unique ecosystem.   Around 20 lagoons and tanks support the extensive birdlife of the national park and rare species such as Black-necked stork and Lesser adjutant are recorded as the breeding inhabitants of the area. Among the 255 bird species recorded, the other rare residents of the park include Purple heron, Night heron, Egrets, Purple swamphen and Oriental darter etc.

From April to July tens of thousands of birds migrate to Kumana swamp area. Some of these migrants are Sri Lanka grey hornbill, Sri Lanka junglefowl, Sri Lanka wood pigeon, crimson-fronted barbet, black-capped bulbul, blue-tailed bee-eater and brown-capped babbler. There are 90 species of waterbirds recorded here, and half of them are migrants. The great white pelican, lesser and greater flamingo are three common migrants. Lesser whistling duck, cormorants, large water birds such as the painted stork, Asian open bill and Eurasian spoonbill, as well as medium and small sized waders are among the water birds found here.

Northern pintail, white-winged tern, Eurasian curlew, Eurasian whimbrel , yellow-wattled lapwing, great stone-curlew, barred buttonquail, Indian peafowl, black stork, black-winged stilt, , orange-breasted green pigeon, hornbills, flycatchers , barbets, orioles, Crested serpent eagle,  white-bellied sea eagle, are among the other bird species in the park.

The driest months of the park are from July to end of October which turns the green vegetation of the park in to a semi arid forest ecosystem. Swamps within the park will be dried up during this season except the surrounded lush green vegetation of Kumana villu (lake) area. In this season visitors may not observe many bird species as much as they observed during the first half of the year. However there is a great possibility to spot the big predators such as leopards and sloth bears during this season with hundreds of crocodiles lying on the drying muddy swamp beds within the park.

The park is located 391 kilometres  Southeast of Colombo adjoining to the Eastern border of Yala National Park and 27Km south from Arugam Bay surfing beach.