Pigeon Island is located North from Tincomalee out of Nilaveli on the most beautiful among all sandy beaches in Sri Lanka. Pigeon island national park consists of two small islands off the east coast north of Trincomalee. The island gets its name from blue rock pigeon, a native endangered bird that lives within the rocks in these islands. The islands were declared a sanctuary in 1963 for the purpose of protecting these birds. In 2003 this area was upgraded to the status of a national park and the boundaries were extended to include coral reef around them. The islands are situated about 1 km off the Nilaveli coast in Trincomalee district.