Rare Birds in Iceland
Our list for Iceland has 38 rare birds recorded regularly there: 6 summer visitors, 23 passage migrants and 9 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Iceland in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 38, most common first
Canada GooseBranta canadensisSummer visitorRare76–110 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
PochardAythya ferinaSummer visitorRare42–49 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Red-flanked BluetailTarsiger cyanurusScarceRare13–14 cmRegularly Oct
Snow GooseAnser caerulescensPassage migrantRare69–84 cmRegularly Apr–Jun
American Golden-PloverPluvialis dominicaPassage migrantRare24–28 cmRegularly Sep
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorRare22–26 cmRegularly May–Jul
Velvet ScoterMelanitta fuscaSummer visitorRare51–58 cmRegularly Jan–Sep
GarganeySpatula querquedulaPassage migrantRare37–41 cmRegularly May–Jun
Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillataSummer visitorRare48–60 cmRegularly Feb–Nov
House MartinDelichon urbicumPassage migrantRare13–15 cmRegularly Apr–Jun
European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleucaPassage migrantRare12–14 cmRegularly Oct
Common CraneGrus grusScarceRare100–130 cm
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosPassage migrantRare19–23 cmRegularly Oct
Mandarin DuckAix galericulataPassage migrantRare41–49 cmRegularly May
Little EgretEgretta garzettaPassage migrantRare55–65 cmRegularly May–Oct
Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensisScarceRare35–43 cmRegularly Mar
Cattle EgretArdea ibisPassage migrantRare46–56 cmRegularly Apr
Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipesPassage migrantRare23–27 cmRegularly May
Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorusScarceRare26–29 cm
Sand MartinRiparia ripariaScarceRare12–14 cmRegularly Apr
Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatusPassage migrantRare16–20 cmRegularly Sep
Common RosefinchCarpodacus erythrinusPassage migrantRare13–15 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiPassage migrantRare53–76 cmRegularly Apr–May
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