Birds to See in Iceland in October
104 species listed for October · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
104 bird species on our list for Iceland are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Redwing, Common Redpoll, Mallard, Common Raven and Blackbird. New this month: Snow Bunting, Fieldfare, Blackcap and Bohemian Waxwing and 14 more.
New in October18
Leaving after last month21
- Arctic Tern
- Pied Wagtail
- Whimbrel
- Black-tailed Godwit
- Arctic Jaeger
- Atlantic Puffin
- Great Skua
- Northern Shoveler
- Manx Shearwater
- European Storm-petrel
- Great Shearwater
- Grey Phalarope
- Arctic Loon
- Sabine's Gull
- Spotted Flycatcher
- American Golden-Plover
- Velvet Scoter
- Surf Scoter
- Swainson's Thrush
- Pomarine Jaeger
- Curlew Sandpiper
Residents
(30)Recorded all year
Redwing
Turdus iliacusNT
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
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
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnusLC
Recorded all year
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreusLC
Recorded all year
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Recorded all year
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Recorded all year
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritimaLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Recorded all year
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
Recorded all year
Rock Ptarmigan
Lagopus mutaLC
Recorded all year
Common Loon
Gavia immerLC
Recorded all year
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
Recorded all year
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Recorded all year
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
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
Razorbill
Alca tordaLC
Recorded all year
Short-eared Owl
Asio flammeusLC
Recorded all year
Summer visitors
(26)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
Regularly Feb–Nov
Northern Gannet
Morus bassanusLC
Regularly Dec–Oct
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchusLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Horned Grebe
Podiceps auritusVU
Recorded all year
Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Greater Scaup
Aythya marilaLC
Recorded all year
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Recorded all year
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Common Scoter
Melanitta nigraLC
Recorded all year
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
Regularly Apr–Nov
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Little Gull
Hydrocoloeus minutusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Canada Goose
Branta canadensisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Winter visitors
(25)Present outside the breeding season
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Recorded all year
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Iceland Gull
Larus glaucoidesLC
Recorded all year
Long-tailed Duck
Clangula hyemalisVU
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Merlin
Falco columbariusLC
Recorded all year
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Snow Bunting
Plectrophenax nivalisLC
Regularly Oct–Aug
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Fieldfare
Turdus pilarisLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Bohemian Waxwing
Bombycilla garrulusLC
Regularly Oct–Feb
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Regularly Aug–Apr
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Regularly Aug–May
Goldeneye
Bucephala clangulaLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimusLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
King Eider
Somateria spectabilisLC
Recorded all year
Little Auk
Alle alleLC
Regularly Oct–Mar
Passage migrants
(22)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Brambling
Fringilla montifringillaLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Brent Goose
Branta berniclaLC
Regularly Apr–Nov
Yellow-browed Warbler
Phylloscopus inornatusLC
Regularly Sep–Oct
Sooty Shearwater
Ardenna griseaNT
Regularly Jul–Oct
Greater White-fronted Goose
Anser albifronsLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Lesser Whitethroat
Curruca currucaLC
Regularly Sep–Oct
Whinchat
Saxicola rubetraLC
Regularly Sep–Oct
Garden Warbler
Sylvia borinLC
Regularly Sep–Oct
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Ruff
Calidris pugnaxLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
European Pied Flycatcher
Ficedula hypoleucaLC
Regularly Oct
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Regularly Oct–Dec
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
Regularly May–Oct
Common Rosefinch
Carpodacus erythrinusLC
Regularly Sep–Oct
Pectoral Sandpiper
Calidris melanotosLC
Regularly Oct
Lapland Longspur
Calcarius lapponicusLC
Regularly May–Oct
Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
Regularly May–Oct
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
Regularly Oct–Mar
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustesLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Wood Warbler
Phylloscopus sibilatrixLC
Regularly 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