Birds to See in Iceland in May
106 species listed for May · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
106 bird species on our list for Iceland are recorded regularly in May. Of these, the most often recorded are Common Snipe, Redshank, Redwing, Black-headed Gull and Greylag Goose. New this month: Arctic Tern, Red-necked Phalarope, Eurasian Woodcock and Arctic Loon and 11 more.
New in May15
Residents
(30)Recorded all year
Redwing
Turdus iliacusNT
Recorded all year
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
Recorded all year
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnusLC
Recorded all year
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Recorded all year
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
Recorded all year
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Recorded all year
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Recorded all year
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreusLC
Recorded all year
Rock Ptarmigan
Lagopus mutaLC
Recorded all year
Common Loon
Gavia immerLC
Recorded all year
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Recorded all year
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Recorded all year
Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritimaLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Razorbill
Alca tordaLC
Recorded all year
Northern Pintail
Anas acutaLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Recorded all year
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeusLC
Recorded all year
White-tailed Sea-eagle
Haliaeetus albicillaLC
Recorded all year
Red Crossbill
Loxia curvirostraLC
Recorded all year
Summer visitors
(43)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaeaLC
Regularly May–Sep
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Regularly Apr–Sep
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
Regularly Feb–Nov
Red-necked Phalarope
Phalaropus lobatusLC
Regularly May–Aug
Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchusLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Arctic Jaeger
Stercorarius parasiticusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
Regularly Apr–Nov
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Horned Grebe
Podiceps auritusVU
Recorded all year
Greater Scaup
Aythya marilaLC
Recorded all year
Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Atlantic Puffin
Fratercula arcticaVU
Regularly Apr–Sep
Northern Gannet
Morus bassanusLC
Regularly Dec–Oct
Common Scoter
Melanitta nigraLC
Recorded all year
Great Skua
Stercorarius skuaLC
Regularly Mar–Sep
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Recorded all year
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Jan–Sep
Manx Shearwater
Puffinus puffinusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Pochard
Aythya ferinaVU
Regularly Apr–Aug
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Little Gull
Hydrocoloeus minutusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Canada Goose
Branta canadensisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Black Tern
Chlidonias nigerLC
Regularly May–Jul
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Pomarine Jaeger
Stercorarius pomarinusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Velvet Scoter
Melanitta fuscaVU
Regularly Jan–Sep
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Arctic Loon
Gavia arcticaLC
Regularly May–Sep
Surf Scoter
Melanitta perspicillataLC
Regularly Feb–Nov
Sabine's Gull
Xema sabiniLC
Regularly May–Sep
Winter visitors
(16)Present outside the breeding season
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Recorded all year
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Recorded all year
Long-tailed Duck
Clangula hyemalisVU
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Iceland Gull
Larus glaucoidesLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Snow Bunting
Plectrophenax nivalisLC
Regularly Oct–Aug
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Recorded all year
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Merlin
Falco columbariusLC
Recorded all year
King Eider
Somateria spectabilisLC
Recorded all year
Goldeneye
Bucephala clangulaLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Regularly Aug–May
Passage migrants
(17)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Brent Goose
Branta berniclaLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Greater White-fronted Goose
Anser albifronsLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Garganey
Spatula querquedulaLC
Regularly May–Jun
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
Regularly May–Oct
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
Regularly Apr–Jun
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Ruff
Calidris pugnaxLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Smew
Mergellus albellusLC
Regularly May–Jun
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipesVU
Regularly May
Lapland Longspur
Calcarius lapponicusLC
Regularly May–Oct
Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
Regularly May–Oct
Mandarin Duck
Aix galericulataLC
Regularly May
Cackling Goose
Branta hutchinsiiLC
Regularly Apr–May
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustesLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Regularly Jan–May
Long-tailed Jaeger
Stercorarius longicaudusLC
Regularly May–Aug
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