The Puffin is the most common bird in Iceland, about 10 million. The distinct appearance and colourful bill make the Puffin easy to spot.

The Puffin is monogamous throughout its life. Every spring the Puffin renews its acquaintance at the same nesting hole as the spring before. The hole can extend up to 1.5 meters into the ground.

In the middle of April, the first birds are seen in their breeding grounds in Kollafjörður. The birds inhabit the islands Akurey and Lundey, where they remain until around the 20th of August. Then they all leave, almost over night. As many as fifteen thousand pairs are believed to nest on Akurey, while ten thousand pairs nest on Lundey.

After breeding over the summer the Puffin remains at sea off the south coast of Iceland for 8 months. The younger birds roam widely, for instance off the Newfoundland coastline.



The Puffin begins to nest when 5 or 6 years old, it lays only one egg. Nesting starts in May, and the young bird hatches after approximately 6 weeks incubation. It leaves the nest 6-8 weeks after emerging from its shell. Both parents see to the feeding and care of the young bird. They go to sea 5-10 times a day to get food.

A Puffin lives for an average of 25 years. The oldest Puffin ever caught was 35 years old. It was caught in the Westman Islands on July 18th 1996; it was released the same day.

The average height of the Puffin is 20 cm. The average weight is 0.5 kg. The males and females are identical. The average flight speed is 80 km/hr. The average diving depth is 10 m. Deepest diving depth known is 60 m.

Our Puffin Watching Tours, take only one hour so it is an easy squeeze into a great day of fun in Reykjavik! These comfortable cruises have been well sought since we started back in 1996 and have been gaining popularity every year. During each trip we go as close as possible to the puffin islands in our specially designed boat, while a licensed guide tells our visitors all about the puffins and other birds we see during sailing. A 100% viewing guarantee