Birds to See in Iceland in April
102 species listed for April · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
102 bird species on our list for Iceland are recorded regularly in April. Of these, the most often recorded are Redwing, Greylag Goose, Mallard, Black-headed Gull and Eurasian Oystercatcher. New this month: Common Snipe, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit and Whimbrel and 28 more.
New in April32
- Common Snipe
- Pied Wagtail
- Meadow Pipit
- Whimbrel
- Black-tailed Godwit
- Arctic Jaeger
- Atlantic Puffin
- Ringed Plover
- Barnacle Goose
- Dunlin
- Wheatear
- Red Knot
- Brent Goose
- Sanderling
- Chiffchaff
- Manx Shearwater
- Chaffinch
- Willow Warbler
- Eurasian Siskin
- Coot
- Barn Swallow
- Little Gull
- House Sparrow
- Canada Goose
- Pochard
- Snow Goose
- House Martin
- Cattle Egret
- Sand Martin
- Cackling Goose
- Pomarine Jaeger
- Hawfinch
Leaving after last month8
Residents
(30)Recorded all year
Redwing
Turdus iliacusNT
Recorded all year
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnusLC
Recorded all year
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Recorded all year
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
Recorded all year
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Recorded all year
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreusLC
Recorded all year
Rock Ptarmigan
Lagopus mutaLC
Recorded all year
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
Recorded all year
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Recorded all year
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Recorded all year
Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritimaLC
Recorded all year
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Common Loon
Gavia immerLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
Recorded all year
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Recorded all year
Razorbill
Alca tordaLC
Recorded all year
White-tailed Sea-eagle
Haliaeetus albicillaLC
Recorded all year
Red Crossbill
Loxia curvirostraLC
Recorded all year
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeusLC
Recorded all year
Summer visitors
(36)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchusLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Regularly Apr–Sep
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
Regularly Feb–Nov
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Horned Grebe
Podiceps auritusVU
Recorded all year
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Recorded all year
Northern Gannet
Morus bassanusLC
Regularly Dec–Oct
Common Scoter
Melanitta nigraLC
Recorded all year
Greater Scaup
Aythya marilaLC
Recorded all year
Great Skua
Stercorarius skuaLC
Regularly Mar–Sep
Atlantic Puffin
Fratercula arcticaVU
Regularly Apr–Sep
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Arctic Jaeger
Stercorarius parasiticusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Jan–Sep
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
Regularly Apr–Nov
Manx Shearwater
Puffinus puffinusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Canada Goose
Branta canadensisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Little Gull
Hydrocoloeus minutusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Pochard
Aythya ferinaVU
Regularly Apr–Aug
Pomarine Jaeger
Stercorarius pomarinusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Surf Scoter
Melanitta perspicillataLC
Regularly Feb–Nov
Winter visitors
(21)Present outside the breeding season
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Recorded all year
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Long-tailed Duck
Clangula hyemalisVU
Recorded all year
Iceland Gull
Larus glaucoidesLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Snow Bunting
Plectrophenax nivalisLC
Regularly Oct–Aug
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Merlin
Falco columbariusLC
Recorded all year
King Eider
Somateria spectabilisLC
Recorded all year
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Regularly Aug–Apr
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Goldeneye
Bucephala clangulaLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Regularly Aug–May
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Passage migrants
(14)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Brent Goose
Branta berniclaLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Greater White-fronted Goose
Anser albifronsLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Ruff
Calidris pugnaxLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
Regularly Apr–Jun
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Regularly Jan–May
Snow Goose
Anser caerulescensLC
Regularly Apr–Jun
Brambling
Fringilla montifringillaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Cackling Goose
Branta hutchinsiiLC
Regularly Apr–May
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustesLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Cattle Egret
Ardea ibisLC
Regularly Apr
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensisLC
Regularly Mar–Apr
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Scarce visitors
(1)Recorded in some years but not every year
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made