Birds to See in Iceland in January
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.
On the move in January
GBIF · JanArriving
From Iceland’s bird records, 2019–2024: arriving birds are regular this month but not last; leaving birds are regular this month but not next.
Other months
All 68 birds in January
68 birds
Common RavenCorvus coraxWinter visitorCommon54–67 cmRecorded all year · 7.69% in Jan
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 6.29% in Jan
EiderSomateria mollissimaResidentCommon50–71 cmRecorded all year · 4.98% in Jan
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorCommon15–18 cmRegularly Oct–Aug · 4.64% in Jan
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year · 4.58% in Jan
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaWinter visitorCommon12–14 cmRecorded all year · 4.48% in Jan
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year · 4.23% in Jan
BlackbirdTurdus merulaWinter visitorCommon24–25 cmRecorded all year · 4.18% in Jan
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorCommon52–60 cmRecorded all year · 4.01% in Jan
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboWinter visitorCommon80–100 cmRecorded all year · 3.96% in Jan
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorResidentCommon52–58 cmRecorded all year · 3.90% in Jan
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorCommon37–60 cmRecorded all year · 3.38% in Jan
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusResidentCommon62–68 cmRecorded all year · 3.08% in Jan
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year · 3.08% in Jan
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeResidentCommon42–51 cmRecorded all year · 2.71% in Jan
RedwingTurdus iliacusResidentCommon20–24 cmRecorded all year · 2.60% in Jan
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 2.46% in Jan
FieldfareTurdus pilarisWinter visitorCommon22–27 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 2.38% in Jan
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnusResidentCommon140–165 cmRecorded all year · 2.36% in Jan
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentCommon75–90 cmRecorded all year · 2.12% in Jan
Black GuillemotCepphus grylleResidentCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 2.09% in Jan
Common MerganserMergus merganserWinter visitorCommon58–68 cmRegularly Sep–Jul · 1.27% in Jan
Eurasian TealAnas creccaResidentCommon34–38 cmRecorded all year · 1.10% in Jan
Common GullLarus canusResidentCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year · 1.06% in Jan
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon31–34 cmRecorded all year · 1.03% in Jan
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaResidentCommon20–22 cmRecorded all year · 0.91% in Jan
Common LoonGavia immerResidentCommon66–91 cmRecorded all year · 0.88% in Jan
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaResidentCommon40–47 cmRecorded all year · 0.79% in Jan
Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusSummer visitorCommon40–45 cmRecorded all year · 0.77% in Jan
FulmarFulmarus glacialisResidentCommon45–50 cmRecorded all year · 0.70% in Jan
European ShagGulosus aristotelisResidentCommon65–80 cmRecorded all year · 0.61% in Jan
Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytesWinter visitorCommon9–10 cmRecorded all year · 0.58% in Jan
MerlinFalco columbariusWinter visitorCommon24–33 cmRecorded all year · 0.57% in Jan
RedshankTringa totanusSummer visitorCommon27–29 cmRecorded all year · 0.57% in Jan
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresResidentCommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.57% in Jan
Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulusWinter visitorCommon19–23 cmRegularly Oct–Feb · 0.55% in Jan
Red-throated LoonGavia stellataResidentCommon53–69 cmRecorded all year · 0.55% in Jan
GoldcrestRegulus regulusWinter visitorCommon9–10 cmRecorded all year · 0.43% in Jan
RazorbillAlca tordaResidentCommon38–43 cmRecorded all year · 0.41% in Jan
Rock PtarmiganLagopus mutaResidentCommon34–36 cmRecorded all year · 0.39% in Jan
Grey HeronArdea cinereaWinter visitorUncommon90–98 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.38% in Jan
GadwallMareca streperaResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year · 0.30% in Jan
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorUncommon40–51 cmRegularly Sep–Jul · 0.30% in Jan
BlackcapSylvia atricapillaWinter visitorCommon13–15 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.29% in Jan
White-tailed Sea-eagleHaliaeetus albicillaResidentUncommon66–94 cmRecorded all year · 0.29% in Jan
Little AukAlle alleWinter visitorUncommon18–21 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.21% in Jan
Greater ScaupAythya marilaSummer visitorCommon39–56 cmRecorded all year · 0.20% in Jan
Northern GannetMorus bassanusSummer visitorCommon87–100 cmRegularly Dec–Oct · 0.18% in Jan
Common ShelduckTadorna tadornaSummer visitorUncommon58–67 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in Jan
King EiderSomateria spectabilisWinter visitorUncommon46–64 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in Jan
Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostraResidentUncommon15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in Jan
CurlewNumenius arquataWinter visitorUncommon50–60 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.15% in Jan
European RobinErithacus rubeculaWinter visitorUncommon13–14 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.15% in Jan
Horned GrebePodiceps auritusSummer visitorCommon31–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.12% in Jan
Northern PintailAnas acutaResidentUncommon59–76 cmRecorded all year · 0.11% in Jan
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoWinter visitorUncommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.09% in Jan
Water RailRallus aquaticusPassage migrantUncommon23–28 cmRegularly Jan–Feb · 0.06% in Jan
ChaffinchFringilla coelebsPassage migrantUncommon14–16 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.06% in Jan
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusWinter visitorUncommon17–19 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.05% in Jan
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusResidentUncommon34–43 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in Jan
Common ScoterMelanitta nigraSummer visitorUncommon43–54 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in Jan
House SparrowPasser domesticusPassage migrantUncommon14–17 cmRegularly Jan–May · 0.04% in Jan
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.04% in Jan
Velvet ScoterMelanitta fuscaSummer visitorRare51–58 cmRegularly Jan–Sep · 0.04% in Jan
BramblingFringilla montifringillaPassage migrantUncommon14–16 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.03% in Jan
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataSummer visitorUncommon44–51 cmRegularly Jan–Sep · 0.03% in Jan
Hooded CrowCorvus cornixWinter visitorUncommon44–51 cmRegularly Sep–Jul · 0.03% in Jan
Song ThrushTurdus philomelosWinter visitorUncommon20–23 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.03% in Jan
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