Main Travel Iceland Bird Watching

When visitors plan a birding trip in Iceland the first image they think of is the colorful Atlantic Puffin.

Puffins do nest in the Westman Islands of Iceland during the warmer months. This area has the world's largest Puffin population and a large variety of other seabirds. The South Island has the largest Arctic skua colony in the world. In the north of Iceland, at Lake Myvatn, you'll find the greatest variety of breeding duck species in all of Europe.

For birding enthusiasts, there are many other native bird species. The Red-throated Diver, White-tailed Eagle, Ptarmigan, the Gyr Falcon, eiders, Arctic terns, waders and many other native birds are more than willing to pose when you find them.

You'll also find a variety of migrants who call Iceland home for at least a brief period every year. There are always a few vagrants who find themselves in Iceland after being blown off course while traveling!

An amazing 369 species of birds have been recorded in Iceland. A trip in May or June is the best time to catch sight of seventy or eighty different species – many nesting in the area and others following a migration route that includes a rest stop in Iceland.

The location of the country coupled with the lava formations, which make wonderful nesting spots, and the vast areas of undisturbed land make bird watching in Iceland an experience that you'll want to repeat.

More about birding in Iceland around the Web:

Iceland On The Web - Birds - A very nice piece on when to visit, where to go and what birds can be seen. Details on breeding species, migrants and vagrants and a great suggestion for, "... your visit to Látrabjarg. It is a great place to see and photograph seabirds as the arctic sun bounces on the horizon at midnight."

Iceland birding contacts and birdwatching information - Want the help of a local birdwatching enthusiast in Iceland? Birding Pals are local people. They are not paid guides, but serious birders who like to help out of town visitors who are also serious birders.

Birds of Iceland - Lots of good information and pictures on this site. The background graphic is a bad choice, but the internal pages have a black background for the text so you can read it easily.