Whistling Lizard

The Whistling Lizard, also known as the Sri Lanka Agama, is an endemic reptile belonging to the Agamidae family. It is found mainly in submontane forests below 1000m, inhabiting forested regions and plantations across areas such as Knuckles, Sinharaja, Kotmale, Kandy, and Galle. This species is well known for its camouflage ability, changing color from green to brown to match its surroundings. It has a long head and tail, with the tail often twice the body’s length. Males possess a row of spines on the neck, forming a crest, while both sexes feature pale grayish bodies with dark bands.

An unusual characteristic of this lizard is its high-pitched whistling call, produced when alarmed — a rare behavior among agamid lizards. It feeds mainly on insects and ants and is most active on tree trunks about 2–3 meters above the ground. Although widely distributed, it is now listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to habitat loss and fragmentation caused by deforestation and illegal construction. With much of its behavior and biology still poorly understood, the Whistling Lizard remains one of Sri Lanka’s most intriguing yet understudied reptiles.