Site description (2000 baseline)
A shallow freshwater lake, pools and extensive marshes/mires of sedge (Carex, Eriophorum), 14 km south of the town of Hella in southern Iceland. Grazing in the marshes is considerable.
Key biodiversity
The lake is important for staging waterbirds. Breeding birds include Gavia stellata, Cygnus cygnus, Anas acuta and several other duck species, Limosa limosa and Numenius phaeopus.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Skumsstadavatn (Iceland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/skumsstadavatn-iba-iceland on 23/12/2024.