Birds to See in Iceland in January
68 species listed for January · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
68 bird species on our list for Iceland are recorded regularly in January. Of these, the most often recorded are Common Raven, Mallard, Eider, Snow Bunting and European Herring Gull. New this month: Brambling, Northern Shoveler, Chaffinch and Water Rail and 2 more.
Leaving after last month3
Residents
(30)Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
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
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Recorded all year
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreusLC
Recorded all year
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Recorded all year
Redwing
Turdus iliacusNT
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnusLC
Recorded all year
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Recorded all year
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritimaLC
Recorded all year
Common Loon
Gavia immerLC
Recorded all year
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Recorded all year
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
Recorded all year
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Recorded all year
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Recorded all year
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
Recorded all year
Razorbill
Alca tordaLC
Recorded all year
Rock Ptarmigan
Lagopus mutaLC
Recorded all year
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Recorded all year
White-tailed Sea-eagle
Haliaeetus albicillaLC
Recorded all year
Red Crossbill
Loxia curvirostraLC
Recorded all year
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
Recorded all year
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeusLC
Recorded all year
Summer visitors
(9)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Greater Scaup
Aythya marilaLC
Recorded all year
Northern Gannet
Morus bassanusLC
Regularly Dec–Oct
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Recorded all year
Horned Grebe
Podiceps auritusVU
Recorded all year
Common Scoter
Melanitta nigraLC
Recorded all year
Velvet Scoter
Melanitta fuscaVU
Regularly Jan–Sep
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Jan–Sep
Winter visitors
(25)Present outside the breeding season
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Recorded all year
Snow Bunting
Plectrophenax nivalisLC
Regularly Oct–Aug
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Iceland Gull
Larus glaucoidesLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Long-tailed Duck
Clangula hyemalisVU
Recorded all year
Fieldfare
Turdus pilarisLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Merlin
Falco columbariusLC
Recorded all year
Bohemian Waxwing
Bombycilla garrulusLC
Regularly Oct–Feb
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Goldeneye
Bucephala clangulaLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Little Auk
Alle alleLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
King Eider
Somateria spectabilisLC
Recorded all year
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Regularly Aug–Apr
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimusLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Regularly Aug–May
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Passage migrants
(4)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
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