Even though Iceland´s national bird is gyrfalcon, Atlantic puffin is probably most popular that catches tourist´s eye. So, little bit about this bird, that can be seen in Iceland from April until September. 

Atlantic puffin (Icelandic: Lundi, Latin: Fratercula Arctica) is a small bird (around 30cm and weights 500-600gr) is most popular bird in Iceland. In autumn around 8 to 10 millions puffins are in Iceland. Which means around half of all Atlantic puffin population is located in Iceland for few months. The Vestman Islands in south of Iceland is has the biggest population of puffins on whole world. Puffins live near the see and their main food is sand eels and capelins. Puffins are known for their diving skills, and when watching them dive, it looks like they are flying under the water.

 Take a look at the video .

Puffin´s average age span is 25 years, which is considered quite a lot for a bird. They become mature when they are 5 or 6 years old. Puffins nest during May and June, they always return to same place to nest. Male puffins dig a hole in ground for nesting. They do not sit on their eggs, but cover them with their wings. When young puffins are ready to leave their nest, not all of them find their way to sea. Many fly towards light, which means they end up in towns and villages. During August and September children in Vestman Islands stay awake during night to catch lost young puffins and bring them back to sea. 

Puffins are fast flyers, they can reach 70 to 80 km/h.

Puffin hunting has been a tradition in Iceland for decades, it is still done, but the hunting is not as popular as it used to be. Hunting period for puffins in Iceland is from 1st July until 15th August. For past years around 100.000 birds have been hunted each year. Hunters use nets for bird hunting and can hunt few hundreds of birds a day.

If you are interested in bird watching and seeing Atlantic puffins, contact GILDO ehf and we will recommend you the best places for bird watching.

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