Data Zone
Country/territory: Iceland
IBA criteria met: A4i, B1i (2000)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 3,300 hectares (33.00 km2)
Site description (2000 baseline)
A coastal area in and near the capital, with sea bays, shingle and stony beaches, peninsulas, intertidal flats, brackish lagoons and marshes. The area extends from Bali on álftanes along the coast, inwards to Skerjafjördur and up to the north part of Seltjarnarnes. Eider husbandry (Somateria mollissima) is practised at Bessastadir.
Key biodiversity
An important area for coastal waterbirds. Other species in notable numbers include Clangula hyemalis (wintering), Haematopus ostralegus (c.60 breeding pairs; 200+ staging on passage), Calidris alpina (few hundreds staging on passage), Tringa totanus (few hundreds staging on passage), and hundreds to thousands of large gulls in winter (Larus argentatus, L. glaucoides, L. hyperboreus and L. marinus).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Skerjafjordur (Iceland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/skerjafjordur-iba-iceland on 23/12/2024.