Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
A coastal wetland in southern Iceland, by the villages of Stokkseyri and Eyrabakki, which extends from the river outlet of ölfusá to Loftsstadir farm. Habitats comprise fresh water, brackish pools, saltmarshes and an adjacent extensive area of beaches and intertidal flats. The shoreline is mainly rocky. Land-use also includes tourism, e.g. kayaking along the coast, lakes and rivers.
Thousands of breeding, staging and wintering waterbirds use the area, particularly the coast. In particular, the shore from the mouth of the ölfusá river to Loftsstadir farm is one of the most important for waterbirds in Iceland. A wide variety of waterbirds breed, including
Sterna paradisaea (1,000-2,000 pairs). Staging birds in May 1990 included
Calidris alpina (2,000) and
Arenaria interpres (200).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The introduced American mink
Mustela vison is a threat, and tourism causes disturbance to birds. Part of the area may be threatened by urban development. The area is on the list of sites of conservation interest in the Nature Conservation Register.
National None
International None
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Stokkseyri-Eyrarbakki (Iceland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/stokkseyri-eyrarbakki-iba-iceland on 23/11/2024.
