Wildlife of Iceland
Iceland has no native land mammals except the Arctic fox, but its cliffs host around 8-10 million breeding seabirds — Atlantic puffins, razorbills, common murres, kittiwakes and northern gannets. Offshore, humpback, minke and orca whales are near-guaranteed in summer.
Best timeMay – August for puffins and whales, September – March for aurora.
- 1Iceland has no native land mammals — the Arctic fox is the only one.
- 2Latrabjarg cliff hosts one of Europe's biggest puffin colonies.
- 3Orcas hunt herring in Grundarfjörður fjord every winter.
Signature species
Curated for Iceland, each tagged with its IUCN Red List status.
- LC
Arctic fox
Vulpes lagopus
- VU
Atlantic puffin
Fratercula arctica
- DD
Orca
Orcinus orca
- LC
Gyrfalcon
Falco rusticolus
- LC
Harbour seal
Phoca vitulina
IUCN codes — EX extinct · EW extinct in wild · CR critically endangered · EN endangered · VU vulnerable · NT near threatened · LC least concern · DD data deficient
Dos & don'ts
Local etiquette that keeps wildlife wild.
Do
- Visit Grundarfjörður in Jan–Feb for orcas and northern lights.
- Support Icelandic Seal Center for haul-out monitoring.
- Keep distance — use zoom or binoculars, never bait animals closer.
- Stay on marked trails to avoid trampling nests, burrows and plants.
Don't
- Don't buy whale-meat souvenirs — most whales are hunted, not farmed.
- Don't disturb ground-nesting eider on the coast.
- Never feed wildlife — human food changes behaviour and shortens lives.
- Don't share exact locations of nests, dens or rare species online.
Spotted here lately
Live from iNaturalist — research-grade observations within 250km, last 30 days.
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