Wildlife and the environment - The Rough Guide to Iceland - page 329

Many of Iceland's ducks (see p.249) are coastal, though you can see almost all
recorded species either on or around Mývatn, a lake in the northeast. Eider are probably
the most famous Icelandic duck, known for their warm down, but birders will want to
clock up harlequin and Barrow's goldeneye , which occur nowhere else in Europe.

Sea birds
Of all the country's birdlife, it's the huge, noisy, teeming sea-bird colonies which really
stick in the mind. There are several types of gull - including the uniformly pale Iceland
gull , and slight, graceful kittiwake - but far more common are narrow-winged, stumpy
fulmars , which look gull-like but are actually related to albatrosses. They nest in
half-burrows or overhangs on steep slopes and cliffs, and are relatively fearless, often
allowing you to approach fairly close - come too near, however, and they spit a
foul-smelling oil from their double-chambered beak.

ICELANDIC BIRD GLOSSARY
Below is a partial list of Icelandic birds , with English and Icelandic names (US names are given in
brackets where they differ substantially from British usage). You won't have to be an ardent
twitcher to clock up most of these, though a couple of less widespread species are also included.
Arctic skua Kjói Oystercatcher Tjaldur

Arctic tern Kría Pink-footed goose Heiðagæs

Barnacle goose Helsingi Pintail Grafönd

Barrow's goldeneye Húsönd Ptarmigan Rjúpa

Black guillemot Teista Pu n Lundi

Black-headed gull Hettumáfur Purple sandpiper Sendlingur

Black-tailed godwit Jaðrakan Raven Hrafn

Black-throated Himbrimi Razorbill Álka

diver (Loon)
Brünnich's guillemot

Red-necked Óðinshani

Stuttneja (Northern) phalarope

Red-throated diver (Thick-billed murre)

Cormorant Dílaskarfur
Dunlin Lóuþræll
Eider Æðarfugl
Fulmar Fýll
Gannet Súla
Golden plover Heiðlóa
Goosander Gulönd
Great auk * Geirfugl
Great skua Skúmur
Greater black-backed Svartbakur
gull
Guillemot (Murre)

Lómur

Redpoll Auðnutittlingur

Redshank Stelkur

Redwing Skógarþröstur

Ringed plover Sandlóa

Scaup Duggönd

Scoter Hrafnsönd

Shag Toppskarfur

Short-eared owl Brandugla

Slavonian grebe Flórgoði

Snipe Hrossagaukur

Snow bunting Snjótittlingur

Langvía Starling Stari

Gyrfalcon Fálki Storm petrel Stormsvala

Harlequin duck Straumönd Teal Urtönd

Herring gull Silfurmáfur Tufted duck Skúfönd

Iceland gull Bjartmáfur Turnstone Tildra

Kittiwake Rita Wheatear Steindepill

Lesser black-backed Sílamáfur White wagtail Maríuerla

gull
Little auk (Dovekie)

White-tailed sea Haförn

Haftyrðill eagle

Whooper swan Longtail duck Hávella Álft

(Old squaw)
Mallard

Widgeon Rauðhöfðaönd

Stokkönd Wren Músarrindill

Meadow pipit Þúfutittlingur

Merganser Toppönd *Extinct

Merlin Smyrill