Iceland, a popular place for birds to live and migrate
If you're a bird lover, the avifauna alone is an excellent reason to visit Iceland. the island is home to 73 species of birds: numerous seabirds such as the gannet, fulmar petrel, two species of cormorant, five alcids including the Atlantic puffin, two skuas, larids (gulls), the Arctic tern, anatidae such as the wild swan, common eider, mallard, red-breasted merganser and goosander, scaup and tufted duck, harlequin goldeneye, Barrow's goldeneye, Miquelon duck, waders such as redshank, purple sandpiper, oystercatcher, black-tailed godwit, whimbrel, narrow-billed phalarope and rarer inland birds such as common raven, snow bunting, rock ptarmigan, merlin and gyrfalcon.
Among them, the Atlantic puffin is one of our most popular birds. Also nicknamed "clown birds" for their colorful coats, their "little penguin" appearance and sometimes awkward gait is truly adorable. They can only be seen in Iceland during the breeding season (early spring to summer), when they like to nest on cliffs such as Làtrabjarg in the north-west, the Vestmann Islands, Flatey Island, Hrísey Island, Vík Beach and the Dyrhólaey Peninsula (closed in May-June for nesting), or in the eastern fjords. Although puffins were sometimes served on the evening menu just a few decades ago, Icelanders now hardly eat them any more. Some restaurants still offer them on their menus, especially for tourists. However numerous they may be, puffins are an endangered species and we advise against eating them. If there are no more tourists to eat puffins, then restaurants will no longer offer them.
Birdwatching is also becoming increasingly popular in Iceland. In addition to the 73 species that nest here on a regular basis, no fewer than 230 others land on the island from time to time. The island's distinctive feature in this respect is that it brings together birds from the Old World to the west of the country and from the New World to the east. In fact, its geographical location makes it a privileged and regularly chosen stopover point for migratory birds. Experts count some 11 species that breed here on an irregular basis, as well as 11 other migrants passing through, particularly in winter. And if the species are numerous, each of them arrives in imposing numbers. This phenomenon can be explained by the island's low population density: the animals are less threatened by man, who nevertheless does not hesitate to hunt them or collect their eggs.
The only local land mammal: the polar fox
Due to the island's insularity, land mammals are rare. The only one to have arrived on the island by itself is the polar fox. Halfway between a dog and a fox, this animal has the particularity of changing its coat according to the season. In winter, it's white, the better to blend in with the snowy scenery, while in summer it's dark brown. The Arctic fox can be seen anywhere in the country, but is most often found in the north-western fjords, and especially in the Hornstrandir protected reserve. This is the only place where the fox is safe, as elsewhere in the country it is considered a nuisance and hunted, however cute it may be.
All other mammals present in the country have been imported at some point. The American mink escaped from farms in the 1930s. The reindeer, introduced from Norway in the late 18th century, now lives in the wild north and east of Vatnajökull, notably in the Snæfell region.
Arriving with the first Viking settlers between 874 and 930, the Icelandic horse has become one of the most famous animals in the local fauna. In the early days of Icelandic civilization, farm animal imports were prohibited. The Nordic horse was thus able to preserve its purity and strength. A good friend to man and a hard worker, this animal soon proved indispensable. Rich and poor alike could call on its services. Having a good horse in one's possession gave its master a certain dignity.
The tölt. The Icelandic horse is much appreciated by novice riders for its small size and for one of its natural gaits: the tölt. This is a so-called four-beat gait, during which the horse always keeps at least one foot on the ground.
The tölt is particularly comfortable for the rider, as there is no jump. For the rider, all you have to do is settle back in the saddle and let the horse take over What's more, this gait can be slow or fast, to cover long distances more easily and without fatigue. It's a wonderful sight to be able to admire an Icelandic horse at tölt, believe us!
Offshore, we meet seals, dolphins, whales...
Grey seals can be seen on low, rocky coasts, while sea calves can be seen on sandy beaches. In fact, it's mainly in the north of the country that seals can be seen, notably on Ytri-Tunga beach on the Snaefellsnes peninsula, or in the fjords to the north-west/north-east. On the south coast, seals can be seen playing between the glaciers of Jökulsarlon.
Good to know when watching seals: when on land, seals are very shy. Don't approach them closer than thirty meters, or you'll scare them away and put them in potential danger. In the water, they feel completely safe, and you can often spot them by looking for their little dark head, which springs up out of the water before diving back in, only to reappear a few metres further on.
Ice floes, reminiscent of Arctic icebergs, sometimes bring polar bears to Iceland in late winter and early spring. These beasts, hungry on arrival and capable of speeds of up to 40 km/h, are normally put to sleep with a stun gun by gamekeepers. However, they are almost systematically slaughtered because they cross the path of local farmers long before that. "Fortunately, this is a rare occurrence, but one that continues to cause controversy every time it happens (bearing in mind that the polar bear is threatened with extinction, it's easy to see why).
As for whales, here too, Iceland has not made friends. Iceland was one of the last nations to hunt whales, exporting their meat to Japan. In 1986, two whalers were sunk in Reykjavík by the environmental organization Sea Shepherd. In 1990, after much pressure, including a successful boycott of Icelandic fish by Greenpeace in Germany and the USA, Iceland was forced to stop the slaughter of cetaceans. In an attempt to make up for lost revenue, whale safaris for tourists were organized with growing success. The small fishing port of Húsavík, in the north, was a great success. Unfortunately, given the economic importance of this hunt, Iceland resumed selective whaling in the summer of 1999, notably for scientific purposes, but in 2009, this position changed with the announcement of a five-year hunt of 250 cetaceans per year. In 2019, the two main companies ceased their activities, and they did not resume in 2020 with the Covid-19 pandemic. In June 2023, authorization to hunt whales was suspended after the publication of a government report. Permission was granted again in September 2023, subject to compliance with strict standards. In any case, the issue remains as topical as ever, and will surely be debated again in the future.
You may also come across other animals off Iceland: whales (rorqual, Minke, humpback), dolphins, orcas... To have a chance of seeing them, an organized excursion from Reykjavik or Akureyri is a good solution. If you're lucky, you may come across some, as we did with a dozen white-nosed dolphins, and a Minke whale whose fin we could see in the distance. And if you're not so lucky, you can come back later in the week for another free outing with most tour companies.
Fish, but no reptiles or amphibians
If fish are numerous in species as in individuals, one does not find in Iceland neither reptiles nor batrachians. The abundance of fish in most of the rivers is mainly due to the North Atlantic drift, extension of the famous warm Gulf Stream current. Trout and salmon are caught by locals and tourists alike. Insects, on the other hand, are few and far between. It is thus possible to bask in the grass without feeling the discomfort of an army of ants on your body. You also don't have to worry about mosquitoes. Even at Lake Mývatn, where they abound in summer, they don't bite.
Vegetation present, but reduced
An icy, volcanic land, Iceland can only support a limited amount of vegetation: shrubs, grasses, small flowers, mosses and lichens. The sometimes too-cold climate, advancing glaciers, eruptions and sheep have all taken their toll on the plants that grow here. Flora specialists estimate that only a quarter of the island's surface area is continuously covered with it. Vast expanses of grass, marshes, reeds and grasses can be seen in abundance. Mosses and lichens regularly appear on the lava fields, concealing the cold blackness of the cooled molten rock and making it more fertile. It takes several hundred years for plants to recover from a lava flow.
Glaciation and volcanism didn't wipe out all the flora, however, as some 470 species of vascular plants survived the bitter cold, half of them boreal species. These include some 37 species of cryptogams, one gymnosperm, almost 290 varieties of dicotyledons and 145 monocotyledons. The vast majority of this flora also grows in northern Scandinavia (97%), Greenland (60%) and the British Isles (87%). Some even thrive best on Icelandic soil. Low shrubs such as dwarf birch, heather, bilberry and wicker are not uncommon.
Over the past few years, some landscapes have taken on shades of purple in the summer months. The cause: Alaskan lupine. First imported from Canada to help regenerate the soil, it is also a flower so resistant that it has become invasive. Beautiful as it is, it grows everywhere and threatens the local flora, which is not to everyone's taste.
Have you noticed how few forests there are in Iceland? A few twisted birch forests have survived, covering 1% of the island's surface. These isolated woods are the remnants of larger forests destroyed by human activity. Indeed, it is estimated that the forest occupied 25% of the island's land surface before colonization. The country's timber comes from Siberian forests. To date, some 4 million young conifers have been planted, representing around 16 trees per capita.
But Iceland is also characterized by vast stretches of desert, where vegetation retreats, leaving only black sand, gravel and stone. These few examples of areas completely ravaged by volcanism and cold can only further encourage visitors to respect the nature they come into contact with, which is Iceland's main attraction.
