Tag Archives: Hettumáfur

Black-headed Gull on the river

hettumafur
Hettumávur – Black-headed Gull – Chroicocephalus ridibundus

The Black-headed Gull is mostly a migratory bird in Iceland but some prefer to stay in the ocean around the country in winter time. It was first seen by the seaside some weeks ago but yesterday big flocks of them were seen in the south and south east part of the country. Yesterday we saw the first individuals flying up the river Ölfusá  by Selfoss.
It is estimated that there are around 25 – 30,000 breeding pairs in Iceland. The Black-headed Gull started breeding here around 1930.