Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
The site comprises all of the islands (and surrounding waters) in this offshore archipelago. Traditional harvesting of seabirds takes place (`Other' land-use): the eggs of
Fulmarus glacialis and auks; the young, mainly of
Sula bassana; and adults of
Fratercula arctica.
More than one million pairs of seabirds breed here, including the largest congregation of breeding
Oceanodroma leucorhoa in Europe, more than 90% of breeding
Hydrobates pelagicus in Iceland, and 100% of breeding
Puffinus puffinus in Iceland.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The islands are not protected, except Surtsey, but Ystiklettur and three islands, Ellidaey, Súlnasker and Hellisey, are on the list of sites of conservation interest in the Nature Conservation Register.
National Low
International None270 ha of IBA covered by Scientific Reserve (Surtsey, 270 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Vestmannaeyjar (Iceland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/vestmannaeyjar-iba-iceland on 22/12/2024.
