Bird-Watching

Iceland has sometimes been called a bird watchers paradise. This activity has the advantage that it cost nothing once you reach a suitable spot. Large colonies and breeding grounds are found in various places throughout the country. Lake Mývatn, Látrabjarg in the West Fjords and the Snćfellsnes peninsula in the west are among the best places for bird watching in Iceland, while closer to Reykjavík, visits to the Reykjanes peninsula and the Westman Islands are always rewarding. For information about special bird tours with expert guides contact the tourist information offices. In all, 241 kinds of birds are known to have touched down in Iceland at one time or another. Of those, 72 nest regularly, 6 are common passage migrants, about 30 are regular drift migrants or winter visitors, and the rest wind up in Iceland by chance. Sea birds, waterfowl, and waders are the most common indigenous birds.

Iceland is one of the main breeding grounds for waterfowl in Europe, and Lake Mývatn is renowned for its abundance of this type of bird. There are no fewer than 16 species of duck known to nest in Iceland, including two American species; Barrow's goldeneye and the harlequin duck. Two nesting species and three passage migrants represent the geese. Iceland is one of the few places in the world where the whooper swan is still a common breeding bird. Its numbers are greatest on lakes bordering the central highlands.

The most frequently-seen sea birds on the towering cliffs along the Icelandic coast are the common guillemot, Brunnich's guillemot, the razorbill, the puffin, the kittiwake, the fulmar, and the gannet.