Puffins from Iceland - where and when to see them?

Puffins are medium-sized and incredibly charming birds inhabiting islands in the Arctic Ocean region.

Did you know that one of Iceland’s symbols is the small, slightly clumsy, and utterly adorable puffin? While this bird can be found in various parts of the world, Iceland—with its rugged landscape—has become home to 60% of the global puffin population.

To spot puffins in their natural habitat in Iceland, you can head to the Dyrhólaey peninsula, where, in addition to breathtaking views that will leave you speechless, you’ll encounter these delightful creatures. Let’s get to the point! If you’ve been captivated by this little bird and absolutely want to see it during your trip to Iceland, read this brief guide. I’ll tell you where the best puffin-watching spots are and the best time to see them on land. Of course, I’ll also share some fun and interesting facts about them.

What are Puffins?

If you look at the most common queries about puffins in search engines, you’ll come across some surprising questions: Are puffins penguins? And do puffins fly? As you can see, knowledge about puffins is rather limited and often influenced by pop culture, like in The Penguins of Madagascar, where one of the antagonists was Hans the Puffin—the most dastardly puffin in Denmark.

Reality, of course, is quite different from what’s portrayed in the show. Puffins don’t battle penguins for world domination, and they’re incredibly charming creatures that have nothing in common with penguins—except for similar colouring. Below, I’ll answer those earlier questions.

Are puffins penguins? – Of course not, they are separate species of birds that have never even had the opportunity to meet each other in nature. Puffins live in the Northern Hemisphere, while penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere.
Do puffins fly? – Puffins are quite capable fliers, able to spend many hours in the air and fly many kilometres. What’s more, they are also excellent divers, able to dive to a depth of up to 60 metres.

When is the best time to watch puffins in Iceland?

If you want to see puffins, the best time is during their breeding season, which begins in April and lasts until mid-August. During this time, the birds return to the islands and nest on the cliffs. After raising their young, puffins head back to the ocean, where they stay until the next breeding season.

So, from mid-August to April, your only option to see them is by taking a boat trip out to the open sea.

Where to see puffins in Iceland?

There are quite a few breeding sites in Iceland, after all, 60 percent of the entire species population lives here. The birds have favoured the northern and eastern parts of Iceland the most, and it is there that you can see the largest colonies. Here are some of the most popular locations:

Hafnarhólmi in Borgarfjörður Eystri – one of the largest puffin habitats in Iceland.
Grímsey Island – known for its numerous puffin colonies.
Langanes Peninsula – an ideal place to observe wild puffins.

In southern Iceland, it’s a bit more challenging to find puffins, as the changing climate makes it increasingly difficult for them to find food. Nevertheless, during our trip around the Dyrhólaey peninsula, we managed to see happily waddling puffins on the cliffs in huge numbers. It’s worth adding that, besides nests and birds, the Dyrhólaey peninsula offers breathtaking views.

After the breeding season, the only way to observe the birds is out at sea. However, you should be prepared that a four-hour boat trip costs about 500 PLN per person. Such trips can be booked online or purchased at local tourist service points.

Puffins as a Dish in Icelandic Cuisine

When travelling to Iceland, it’s worth knowing that puffins have been hunted for generations for their tasty meat. Unregulated hunting significantly depleted their population, which is now considered a vulnerable species. Despite the declining numbers, there are still places in Iceland where puffin is served as a dish.

I, personally, couldn’t bring myself to try it, even though I love food and have sampled quite a few exotic animals in the past. I simply felt too sorry for the puffin, and not even Gordon Ramsay’s glowing review could tempt me. He praised the meat, comparing its flavour to whale steak.

So, if you feel like trying puffin, I won’t stop you—but I won’t encourage it either.

Interesting facts about puffins

According to legends of the Northern people, puffins are the posthumous form of sailors who died at sea.
The puffin’s beak is fluorescent. Scientists believe this feature is useful during mating.
Puffin populations can be found in eastern Canada, the British Isles, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, and the Brittany coast of France.
The bird weighs an average of about half a kilogram.
Special grooves in the beak allow a puffin to catch up to 10 fish at once, which can often be seen in photographs of these birds.
Puffins are seabirds, which means they spend most of their lives in open water.
Puffins are excellent divers to depths of up to 60 meters and can stay underwater for up to 30 seconds.
Puffins are the only seabirds that use tools. Puffins have been observed scratching their backs with sticks.
A puffin nest is a burrow dug into the ground that can be up to 2 meters deep.
Puffin pairs mate for life, which can last up to 30 years.
The entire population is about 12-14 million birds.
The puffin is the symbolic bird of Iceland and can be found everywhere – from fridge magnets to key rings to stuffed animals.