Iceland Ramsar wetland
Mývatn
105 bird species recorded; the most from June to July.
Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
34 species in January.24 species in February.23 species in March.51 species in April.84 species in May.92 species in June.86 species in July.72 species in August.57 species in September.42 species in October.20 species in November.21 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
VU
VU
VU
VU
VUVU
VU
VU
VUVU
NT
VUVUNTVUVUNTVUVUVUVUVUVU
VUVU- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
105 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 105Speciesrecorded more than once
- 67Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 4ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 55,445Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 278 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 3Raptors
- 1Owls
- 17Waders
- 20Gulls & seabirds
- 34Ducks & geese
- 3Herons, ibises & grebes
- 20Songbirds
- 7Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 105 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- White-tailed EagleHaliaeetus albicilla
- Gyr FalconFalco rusticolus
Owls1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
Waders17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- RedshankTringa totanus
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- Purple SandpiperCalidris maritima
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Grey (Red) PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
Gulls & seabirds20 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Common GullLarus canus
- FulmarFulmarus glacialis
- Great skuaStercorarius skua
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
- Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
- Black GuillemotCepphus grylle
- Common MurreUria aalge
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Ross's GullRhodostethia rosea
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
Ducks & geese34 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Barrow's GoldeneyeBucephala islandica
- Whooper SwanCygnus cygnus
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Common ScoterMelanitta nigra
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchus
- Harlequin DuckHistrionicus histrionicus
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Common EiderSomateria mollissimaNT
- Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsis
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- SmewMergellus albellus
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
- Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillata
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- Brent GooseBranta bernicla
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- American ScoterMelanitta americanaNT
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
Herons, ibises & grebes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
Songbirds20 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulus
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- FieldfareTurdus pilaris
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Ortolan buntingEmberiza hortulana
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
Other birds7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- PtarmiganLagopus muta
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- CootFulica atra
- Spotted CrakePorzana porzana
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from June to July.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan-3°/-9°82 mm
- Feb-3°/-9°68 mm
- Mar-2°/-8°77 mm
- Apr0°/-6°68 mm
- May3°/-2°71 mm
- Jun7°/2°58 mm
- Jul9°/4°78 mm
- Aug8°/3°83 mm
- Sep5°/0°106 mm
- Oct1°/-3°104 mm
- Nov-2°/-7°100 mm
- Dec-3°/-9°96 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Mývatn.
Lake
Mývatn is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Iceland, 278 m above the sea.
105 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 55,445 open records.
The most recorded are the Tufted Duck, the Eurasian Wigeon and the Barrow's Goldeneye.
54 species come for the summer, 13 for the winter and 0 only pass through.
4 are threatened worldwide, including Horned Grebe, Long-tailed duck and Common Pochard.
The most species are recorded from June to July.
Get there and watch
- Vogarcampsite · 4.1 km · 3 within 10 km
- Slow Travel Mývatnplace to stay · 3.8 km · 21 within 10 km
- Laugarnearest town · 22 km in a straight line
- Akureyri International Airport (AEY)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 50 km in a straight lineCar hire at AEY airport (Akureyri)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 9marked trails within 4 kmGrjotagja, Aussichtberg Vindbelgjarfjall, Dimmuborgir and 6 more
- 1visitor centres within 6 kmReception
- 20viewpoints within 5 km
- 5car parks within 3 km
- 1restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 3campsites within 10 kmVogar, Bjarg, Hlíð
- 21places to stay within 10 kmSlow Travel Mývatn, Vogafjós Farm Resort, Vogar Travel Services and 18 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Mývatn.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas24 mountains within 25 kmHverfjall452 m · 5.5 kmNámafjall482 m · 8.4 kmBúrfell á Mývatnsöræfum953 m · 16 kmKrafla818 m · volcano · 17 kmBláfjall1,222 m · 19 kmSellandafjall988 m · 21 kmFremrinámar939 m · volcano · 24 kmKetildyngja939 m · volcano · 24 km
Lakeyas2 lakes within 15 kmMývatn38 km² · 1.0 km↗Sandvatn3.5 km² · 6.3 km
Darkskyas4 dark-sky places within 30 kmMývatnBortle 1 · this place↗HverfjallBortle 1 · 5.2 kmKraflaBortle 1 · 17 km↗China-Iceland Arctic Science ObservatoryBortle 2 · 21 km
Cavernyas1 caves within 20 kmGrjótagjá · 6.7 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Mývatn
Iceland
- 62Birdyas Score
- 105Species
- 67Migrants
- 4Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q212051) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 55,445 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Islandyas, Lakeyas, Darkskyas, Cavernyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit