Birds to See in Iceland in August
92 species listed for August · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
92 bird species on our list for Iceland are recorded regularly in August. Of these, the most often recorded are Redwing, Black-headed Gull, Pied Wagtail, Fulmar and Meadow Pipit. New this month: Brent Goose, Curlew, Willow Warbler and Bar-tailed Godwit and 4 more.
Residents
(30)Recorded all year
Redwing
Turdus iliacusNT
Recorded all year
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
Recorded all year
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
Recorded all year
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Recorded all year
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnusLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Recorded all year
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreusLC
Recorded all year
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Recorded all year
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Recorded all year
Common Loon
Gavia immerLC
Recorded all year
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
Recorded all year
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Recorded all year
Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritimaLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Recorded all year
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Recorded all year
Rock Ptarmigan
Lagopus mutaLC
Recorded all year
Razorbill
Alca tordaLC
Recorded all year
Red Crossbill
Loxia curvirostraLC
Recorded all year
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
Recorded all year
White-tailed Sea-eagle
Haliaeetus albicillaLC
Recorded all year
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeusLC
Recorded all year
Summer visitors
(39)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaeaLC
Regularly May–Sep
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
Regularly Feb–Nov
Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Atlantic Puffin
Fratercula arcticaVU
Regularly Apr–Sep
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Arctic Jaeger
Stercorarius parasiticusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Northern Gannet
Morus bassanusLC
Regularly Dec–Oct
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Regularly Apr–Sep
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Horned Grebe
Podiceps auritusVU
Recorded all year
Great Skua
Stercorarius skuaLC
Regularly Mar–Sep
Greater Scaup
Aythya marilaLC
Recorded all year
Red-necked Phalarope
Phalaropus lobatusLC
Regularly May–Aug
Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
Regularly Apr–Nov
Manx Shearwater
Puffinus puffinusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchusLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Common Scoter
Melanitta nigraLC
Recorded all year
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Recorded all year
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Jan–Sep
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Arctic Loon
Gavia arcticaLC
Regularly May–Sep
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Little Gull
Hydrocoloeus minutusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Canada Goose
Branta canadensisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Pomarine Jaeger
Stercorarius pomarinusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Pochard
Aythya ferinaVU
Regularly Apr–Aug
Velvet Scoter
Melanitta fuscaVU
Regularly Jan–Sep
Winter visitors
(14)Present outside the breeding season
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Recorded all year
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Merlin
Falco columbariusLC
Recorded all year
Snow Bunting
Plectrophenax nivalisLC
Regularly Oct–Aug
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Recorded all year
Long-tailed Duck
Clangula hyemalisVU
Recorded all year
Iceland Gull
Larus glaucoidesLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Regularly Aug–Apr
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
King Eider
Somateria spectabilisLC
Recorded all year
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Regularly Aug–May
Passage migrants
(9)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Sooty Shearwater
Ardenna griseaNT
Regularly Jul–Oct
European Storm-petrel
Hydrobates pelagicusLC
Regularly Jun–Sep
Great Shearwater
Ardenna gravisLC
Regularly Aug–Sep
Brent Goose
Branta berniclaLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Leach's Storm-petrel
Hydrobates leucorhousVU
Regularly Jun–Aug
Long-tailed Jaeger
Stercorarius longicaudusLC
Regularly May–Aug
Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
Regularly May–Oct
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Ruff
Calidris pugnaxLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
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