Sea ducks

Sea ducks

Iceland’s sea ducks are so called because they invariably spend some part of the year at sea. They dive for their prey which is usually invertebrates and small fish.

The Eider Duck (somateria mollissima) with a population of ~300,000 pairs is the commonest and can often be seen in huge congregations off the coast. It continues to be commercially important with the down collected during the summer months, cleaned and used for pillows, duvets etc. The Barrow’s golden eye (bucephala islandica) and the harlequin duck (histrionicus histrionicus) are both North American birds at the extreme eastern limit of their range. They breed nowhere else in Europe.

The population of Barrow’s golden eye is relatively small (~1000 pairs) but almost all the birds nest in the Mývatn region and remain there most of the year.


	Harlequin ducks can be seen on fast flowing rivers all over the country with a large number resident at Mývatn where the Laxá river exits the lake. These colourful birds rarely fly over land, confining their journeys to watercourses


	The common scoter (melanitta nigra) is one of Iceland’s rare breeding birds (~300 pairs), but the population is almost entirely concentrated at Mývatn and so fairly easy to spot in the summer months.


	The long-tailed duck (clangulahyemalis) ~3000 pairs is unmistakable with its long tail feathers. The winter plumage is much lighter and the birds easier to find in the winter in sheltered harbours and coastal bays.

		For megansers and goosanders see Sawbills


	Images of sea ducks

		© icephotos.com