Bird-watching happens to be a hobby of mine. If I can travel to see rare, exotic, or indigenous species, I most certainly will. I recently got done gushing over a puffin colony in Iceland, and I thought, “why not talk about them?”
What Is a Puffin?
Puffins are super cute birds that you’ll pretty much only see in Iceland. Interestingly, you’ll likely never see one outside of their breeding season.
The Atlantic Puffin Home
You may see them in North Iceland, or you may find them around the south coast. Either way, Iceland is the premier breeding spot for 60 percent of the world’s Atlantic puffins. I like to take a summer vacation to go see them. If you want to do the same, you can do so any time between early April and September.
Where Do Iceland Puffins Nest?
Expect to find puffins nesting in and around rocky cliffs. This is where you’ll get to see baby puffins, which are known as pufflings. Westfjords, Dyrhólaey, which is in south Iceland along the coastal region, is one of the best places to see one of these bird cliffs (what some of us like to call puffin nesting sites).
Breeding Season Is Land Season
Once it’s not breeding season, don’t expect a large puffin colony to show up. Instead, puffins spend most of their lives on the open seas. This is why you will find that puffin tours tend to only be available during certain times. Nevertheless, as someone who is into hiking and bird watching, I’m pretty used to the idea of having to plan around weather, animal habits, etc.
You’ll need to do the same if you want to get a load of these beauties in their element.
These Atlantic Puffins Change Color
Puffin-watching tours won’t usually allow you to see the winter aesthetic these birds have, but they do go through quite the wardrobe shift. When the breeding season ends, they molt, which means that much of their eye-catching aesthetic goes away.
The white feathers take on a dark grey hue, and their beaks even get narrower and end up with a bright tip. When springtime comes around, all the brilliant colors return.
Puffins in Iceland Live Quite Long Lives
While one female puffin will only have one puffling annually, these birds have impressive lifespans when you consider bird standards. The oldest recorded one was a 38-year-old puffin that was ringed in the Westman Islands. On average, they will live 20-25 years.
The Best Places to See Puffins in Iceland
If you’re going puffin watching, you will likely be visiting one or more of these locations:
- Reykjavík
- Vestmannaeyjar
- Dyrhólaey Stone Arch
- Ingólfshöfði Nature Reserve
- Papey Island
- Skrúður Island
- Borgarfjörður Eystri
- The Tjörnes Peninsula
- Grímsey Island
- Flatey Island
- Hornstrandir Nature Reserve
- Breiðafjörður
- Látrabjarg Cliffs
- Vigur Island
Did you know that they also eat puffin in Iceland? It’s one of the Icelandic foods you must try if you visit!
Will You Visit the Puffin Islands?
If you do decide to check out these amazing creatures, you will find Iceland’s largest puffin colony claiming two uninhabited islands as their own. The first Puffin Island is Lundley, and the second is known as Akurey.
Other species, such as eider ducks, arctic terns, northern fulmars, and black guillemots, can also be found on what has collectively been deemed the “Puffin Islands.”
These birds have a way of putting smiles on faces, and I hope you take the time to go see them!
About Tim Schmidt
Tim Schmidt is a 20+ year Entrepreneur and Digital Marketer. A Fort Lauderdale-based "Digital Nomad," he enjoys traveling as much as possible with family and friends. AllWorld is his escape to document all of his adventures, including being a hardcore "foodie." He has property in Costa Rica and visits several times each year and is happy to offer his expert advice for planning your trip.
