Most of us dream of coming to the Arctic to see polar bears or whales for their majestic presence, impressive size, and graceful movements that can only be experienced out in the wild. Yet, some other species in the region deserve as much recognition and interest these include polar birds. Arctic birdlife has a lot to offer environmental activists, wildlife lovers and like-minded travelers who want to see these small, yet resilient species adapting and thriving in the harsh polar conditions.
There are no other polar animals that form populations quite so big: you can see thousands or even tens of thousands of Arctic birds at a single location. You can also get closer to them as the safety concerns are not so strict, providing for perfect nature photography opportunities. Weve put together a list of birds that you can see in the popular Arctic destinations of Svalbard, Greenland and Franz Josef Land. Learn about their looks, breeding, and behavioral traits, along with some fun facts and preferred habitats.
One of the most common representatives of all the birds in the Arctic, the kittiwake looks a bit like a seagull but is smaller in size and has a shorter yellow beak. Depending on the color of its legs, you will often find red- or black-legged added to its name. During the summer, this bird can be seen nesting on the rocky cliffs of Svalbard or Franz Josef Land.
This bird is mostly black (hence the name) with red legs and white patches on its wings. In the Arctic, they can often be spotted close to the pack ice, which makes Svalbard and Franz Josef Land the perfect places to see them. Some of the Arctic bird colonies can reach up to 10,000 members. To hunt for food, they dive just beneath the surface, being able to hold their breath for more than 2 minutes at a time. Once the prey is caught, adults carry it back to their cliff nests by holding it athwart the beak.
To tell a Brunnichs guillemot apart from the black one, you would need to look at the location of the white spots on the birds body: with these species, it would be tuxedo-like, on their belly and not the wings. This pelagic bird also goes by a different name in some regions, the thick-billed murre. They are exceptional divers and can go as deep as 100 meters or more, staying underwater for 3+ minutes. They can be spotted resting on ice floes and nesting on cliffs. This bird (Uria lomvia) is called a Brünnichs guillemot in Europe but is known as a thick-billed murre in North America. Like many of their fellow auks, they are sturdily built with black upper parts and white underparts. The Brünnichs guillemot is distinguished by a white stripe along its black beak. They are not graceful fliers but are exceptional swimmers and divers. Their colonies tend to be densely packed with breeding pairs often numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Brünnichs guillemots do not build nests. Instead, they lay their eggs directly on narrow ledges of vertical cliffs near the sea. The eggs are pyriform (pear-shaped), an adaptation that allows them to roll in a tight circle rather than off the cliff. Amazingly, chicks leave the cliffs before they can fly. In late summer, they jump from the cliffs into the water below, where they swim to the safety of the open sea with their fathers. Ideal breeding locations include Alkefjellet in Svalbard and Rubini Rock in Franz Josef Land, where there is water directly below the ledges. At other locations, chicks may land in the tundra where they can become prey for an Arctic fox or glaucous gull. If you are lucky enough to witness the jumping of Brünnichs guillemot chicks, you will have an experience you will never forget. Book the sea kayaking option on your Arctic cruise for a chance to paddle beneath the cliffs while chicks jump into the water all around you!
These bandits of the Arctic birds also go by the name of parasitic jaegers, which matches their lifestyle, too, as they mostly prey on other birds, their food, or eggs, sometimes even staging group attacks. They come to the High Arctic areas to breed, choosing to nest on the ground and forage on other birds above the water. To recognize them, look for birds with sharp wings and an athletic build chasing others around.
With an impressive 30+ year lifespan and a later start to breeding, Northern fulmars are abundant in most regions of the Arctic, coming to nest on cliffs in the summertime and glide over the ocean for the rest of the year. You can usually spot them from the ships deck. These birds bear similarities to albatrosses in their appearance given their heavy build and tube-shaped nostrils. The northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) superficially resembles a gull but is actually a member of the tubenose order of seabirdsthe only member whose range extends into the Arctic. Northern fulmars occur in two color morphs, one light gray and the other dark gray (or blue). Unlike auks, fulmars effortlessly glide over the waves on straight, stiff wings with occasional bursts of flapping. Like albatrosses, fulmars are a joy to behold gliding in the slipstream of a cruise ship. All around the Arctic, northern fulmars lay their eggs on ledges on inaccessible cliffs, often in the same areas as Brünnichs guillemots. The name fulmar comes from the Norse, meaning foul gull, referring to its habit of spewing noisome gastric oil at aggressors (often with surprising accuracy). Like other members of their order, northern fulmars are monogamous and long-lived.
These petite social birds are renowned for their migration distances: they annually travel from pole to pole, coming to the Arctic to breed and to Antarctica for the winter. Arctic terns can reach 20-30 years of age and prefer to nest on the ground in busy colonies. You can recognize them by their pointy wings, the black cap on their head, a silver-grey body and a red bill and legs.
A glaucous gull is among the signature Arctic birds, matching the surroundings with its pale white and grey coloring. These species are foragers, meaning, like regular gulls, they eat pretty much anything they can find, including babies and eggs from other birds. They can even be cunning at times, waiting for other animals, like Arctic foxes, to rummage through bird colonies.
These smallish High Arctic birds are all white, except for their black legs. They are known polar bear companions and heavily rely on the sea ice for a living. Ivory gulls have been spotted as far up North as 88 degrees. Climate change, therefore, could harm their food sources and habitat. Ivory gulls are foragers, like the other gulls, so they prefer to scavenger off polar bear prey and seal afterbirth.
Great cormorants are somewhat similar to ducks they have palmate feet and waterproof plumage, but it is not as effective, so you may often spot them standing on the rocks with their wings spread open to dry. They prefer to nest on cliffs and catch fish by taking dives in the shallow coastal waters.
A bird with a striking black-and-white appearance, the razorbill can be recognized by its sharp beak, marked by a thin white line that starts at the eye area. It makes a sharp, creaking door noise, and can be seen nesting on the cliffs that overlook the ocean, particularly in the British Isles.
Little auks, also known as dovekies, are among the few iconic Arctic birds: plentiful in numbers, they usually live in the High Arctic areas where only cruise ships tend to go. They prefer cliffs as their breeding ground, but theyre otherwise seen around the pack ice: resting, swimming or diving to hunt for invertebrates. Look for tiny black birds with white bellies to distinguish them. The little auk (Alle alle) is a small, stocky seabird with short legs, short wings, and a short bill. In summer, they are all black except for their white underbelly and a few white wing feathers. Little auks, also known as dovekies, do not make their nests on cliff ledges but rather in the scree slopes below cliffs and on mountainsides. They are very numerous (possibly the most numerous seabird in the world) and highly gregarious. When disturbed by a fox or marauding gull, enormous flocks of little auks erupt from the boulders and loudly careen across the sky in dizzying acrobatic displays. After a night of fishing, they can be seen returning to the nests with throat pouches full of food, like flying hamsters. Little auks are particularly abundant in Hornsund, a fjord in southern Spitsbergen (Svalbard), where up to a million individuals breed along the mountainous coastline.
Northern gannets are very noticeable among other bird species: they have a very pointy grey bill with black contours leading up to the blue eyes, a sharp, elongated body and a yellowish crown with white feathers. Their biggest colony can be seen on Bass Rock in Scotland. They take aerial dives to hunt for fish, swiftly maneuvering around other gannets thanks to excellent vision and loud vocalization.
The Atlantic puffin is often considered to be very photogenic due to its big multicolored bill with lots of orange to contrast its otherwise black-and-white attire. Its wings are a bit small for flying, but are very efficient for water hunting. From late spring until the end of the summer, puffins form large colonies to nest in burrows on islands near the ocean.
These types of geese are on the small side and sport a pretty combination of black, white and grey, specifically, with a white face and a black neck and top of the head. They breed in the areas of Greenland and Svalbard, choosing to fly or nest in groups. Barnacle geese are often targeted by polar bears and Arctic foxes, so they prefer to nest on cliffs.
These Arctic birds are a good example of perseverance in cold climates. They choose to nest in rock cavities, which are secure from predators but are quite cold, even during the summer months in High Arctic areas. Males arrive early, when the ground is still covered in snow, to start lining the nests with fur and feathers, and take care of the females by providing food while they keep the eggs warm.
These cute birds, marked with a touch of red, can adapt to the colder weather of the Arctic tundra, and often come here to breed. Even though there are usually no trees in the higher latitudes, they find shelter in bushes and shrubs. They are seed eaters and can also be seen in forests and towns of North America, looking for feeders. Redpolls travel in groups and make high-pitched, energetic thrills.
Sanderlings are surprisingly diverse in their habitat during the year: while they frequent the sandy beaches of the world from autumn to spring, they come to the High Arctic to breed during the polar summer. For some birds, that requires covering a rather long distance. You can recognize them by pointy black bills and longish legs.
Despite the name, these birds are, in fact, ground birds. They are common in Canada and North America, but like some of the previously mentioned Arctic birds, they come to the high latitudes to breed. Their bodies are rather plump, and the plumage is rusty with a touch of black and white.
This hawk, found globally across the northern latitudes, comes to the Arctic cliffs to nest and hunt for small rodents and mammals. They get their name due to the feathers that cover the whole length of their feet, all the way to the toes.
A great black-backed gull looks almost like a regular gull, except for very black wings, a black tail and a red spot near the tip of the beak that looks like the bird is carrying something. It is the largest gull in the world. During the winter season, you can spot them following flocks of humpback whales as they hunt the fish that come up to the surface.
Similar in appearance, but more petite in size, this gull is rather slender-looking and has long limbs and bright yellow legs. Like its fellow gulls, its an opportunistic eater that will forage on anything it can find, even parts of the nests and eggs of other birds. Great gulls may attack it for food.
The common loon, also known as the great northern diver, can give off a slightly creepy vibe with its red eye standing out against the black of the head and eerie high-pitched cries. Loons are very skilled divers, given their second name, but are rather awkward on land, coming ashore only to nest.
These gorgeous birds are easily distinguishable by the appearance of males: with green cheeks, orange crowns with black lining coming up above the red bills and a pearl-blue crown. They prefer the northern High Arctic tundra to nest, migrating in shared flocks with tens of thousands of other Arctic birds.
This funny-looking duck sports a three-feather tail that is almost as long as the rest of its body. This bird also has a noticeable black-and-brown spot on the side of the neck. It comes to the High Arctic to breed, but tends to avoid ice, staying closer to the shore or looking for protected bays. Its a skilled diver and can spend a lot of time underwater.
These migratory geese can be spotted in Iceland, Svalbard and Greenland as they come to breed during the summer. As with other Arctic birds, they choose secluded spots like higher cliffs for their nests to protect the chicks from Arctic foxes and other predators. At the end of the summer or the beginning of autumn, the geese start heading back south together with their newborns.
Ptarmigans change their coloring with the seasons, being completely white in the winter and brown in the summer to fit their surroundings. Their usual habitat is the tundra, from Alaska to New Mexico, where they find shelter beneath the tree line or the openings in rocks and forage on the ground to look for vegetation.
A true predator, this eagle is among the largest prey birds in the area. Not afraid of the snow and cold, white-tailed eagles frequent cliffs and rocks along ocean coastlines, occasionally staying on islands. They not only hunt other birds, but sometimes simply steal their food.
These Arctic birds were recognized by whalers a few centuries ago as they tend to follow bowhead and grey whales to look for food in the water, coming up to the surface as the whales make their path. During the breeding season, their bodies are red, with the exception of a white circle around the eyes and a black spot on top of the head.
To tell these Arctic birds apart from other loons, look for the posture of their head, with the bill always pointing upwards and a fairer complexion. They are experienced fish hunters that have the grace and skill of a falcon.
The ruddy prefix is caused by an unusual coloring of this turnstone: the orange coloring on its wings and feet makes it stand out against other species. It nests and looks for food near the ground, using its bill to flip debris or soil. Since it comes to the Arctic tundra to breed, it has to gain substantial amounts of fat and fly fast to cover the long distance.
As vivid as descriptions and pictures may be, nothing beats seeing Arctic birds thriving in their natural habitat: interacting with their mates, diving down into the water and coming back up to their nests, performing courtship displays, raising their young and effortlessly posing for a spectators camera. The sought-after destinations of Svalbard, Greenland and Franz Josef Land, as well as the British Isles area in the North Atlantic Ocean, provide perfect opportunities to experience the Arctic birdlife.
On a polar expedition, you can get to the most inaccessible bird havens of the entire Arctic where smaller boats cant withstand the weather and ice conditions and large cruise ships arent able to maneuver. In May, you can join a British Isles cruise with an itinerary specifically tailored for birdwatching and anticipated locations like Bass Rock, Rathlin, St. Kilda and Fair Isle. With the advent of summer, up to three million birds flock to the natural reserves of the Svalbard archipelago, and we can follow their journey with several itineraries on the roster.
Later, in July and August, ice conditions allow the ship to reach the High Arctic archipelago of Franz Josef Land. Here, on the cliffs of numerous islands and the famed basalt columns of Rubini Rock, thousands of polar birds find their permanent and temporary homes. At the end of the season, when the auroras illuminate the night skies in Greenland, Arctic bird enthusiasts will be able to check off several bird species from their bucket list during each cruise day.
Other seabirds forming sizable breeding colonies in Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, and Greenland, often alongside species mentioned above, include common guillemots (Uria aalge), black guillemots (Cepphus grylle), black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), and Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica).
Pictures, places, and species facts about 29 Arctic birds
Without a doubt, the Arctic is home to some of the most magnificent land and marine mammals on the planet. However, the Arctic’s bird life more than competes with that of its larger neighbors, boasting a number of exotic species that are highly sought after by birdwatchers worldwide.
These 29 Arctic birds and seabirds are a great addition to our article on Antarctic bird life and could be spotted on an expedition cruise. Detailed here are facts about the following Arctic species:
There has to be a clown in every class, and these Arctic birds appear happy to oblige. However, despite being referred to as “sea clowns” due to their vivid facial coloring, puffins are also called “little brothers of the north” due to the color of their bodies, which is black and white. Many people believe this to be similar to the clothing worn by specific religious orders.
Some partnerships between humans and birds almost defy belief. In the past, fishermen would fasten a loop around a cormorant’s throat, giving it just enough space to consume smaller fish while trapping larger fish in its bill, ready to be eaten. Thankfully, the cormorants that inhabit the Arctic do not suffer from this fate.
By Charlesjsharp via Wikimedia Commons
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No moss grows on this Arctic birds wings. Arctic terns are among the world’s most gregarious avians, with an estimated 2 4 million km (1. 49 million miles) in their lifetimes. Because of their ambitious migration patterns, they get to experience two summers a year. These Arctic birds may be spotted while traveling through Greenland, and the next season you may see them while cruising through Antarctica.
Other names for these Arctic birds are Cuddy ducks or St. Cuthberts ducks. Common eiders are large seabirds, or more precisely, large sea ducks, with a length of between 50 and 71 cm (20 and 28 inches) and a top speed of 113 kph (70 mph). Although common eiders migrate southward during the winter to form massive flocks on the coastal waters of more temperate zones, they breed in the far north.
King eiders have a very wide range, making them the largest sea ducks in the Northern Hemisphere. This could help to explain their Latin name, Spectabilis, which means “remarkable display” but actually describes the males’ vivid plumage. These Arctic birds are true ducks of the people, regardless of their regal status: King eiders are known to form flocks as large as 100,000 and are not afraid to breed with common eiders.
There are numerous sea eagle species in the Arctic, all of them magnificent and deserving of respect. But among the most unique are the white-tailed eagles, which are the biggest in Europe, have the largest wingspan of any eagle on Earth, and have no natural predators besides humans. These Arctic birds share the same ecological niche in Eurasia as bald eagles do in North America, indicating their close kinship with bald eagles.
By Yathin S Krishnappa via Wikimedia Commons
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Not surprisingly, the most common bird seen on an Arctic cruise is also the most abundant gull on the planet. Kittiwakes get their name from their own repetitious cry. They can frequently be heard yelling from the cliffs, where their young are generally safe from harm as long as they stay inside the nest. In fact, kittiwakes are the only gull-like birds on the planet that build their nests on cliff faces. It pays not to be scared of heights.
The term “fulmar” means “foul gull,” indicating that the ancient Norse had harsh words for these oil-spewing Arctic birds, even though taste is subjective. The term “title” alludes to the animal’s strong gastric oil, which it can spray to protect its young or to fuel themselves during protracted flights. However, despite their tendency to smell, these Arctic birds have an acute sense of smell.
Certain birds in the Arctic are dubbed “snowflakes,” while others are fierce and swift. Despite their adorable call sign, snow buntings are hardy survivors. Among land-dwelling birds, they are the most northern breeders, living in any area of tundra that isn’t covered in ice. Additionally, these birds are not particular about how their species is reproduced; when necessary, they will happily cross-breed with Alaskan Beringian McKay’s buntings.
Not everyone has mastered walking, and some people will never be able to, unless they are walking on water. This includes northern gannets, which find that lifting off from a wet surface is simpler than from a dry one. Despite this, these Arctic birds are effective because they are born with tiny air bags beneath their skin that shield them from harm during their sharp dives and aid in their surfacing. Additionally, they enjoy eating: in the UK, the word “gannet” is used instead of “glutton.”
These tiny Arctic waders resemble dunlins and sandpipers in appearance; they are actually a kind of stint, or small sandpiper. When sanderlings run along the beach in pursuit of food, which is typically invertebrates like tiny crabs, they are recognized for the cycling motion their legs produce. In addition to being highly migratory, these circumpolar birds can travel up to 10,000 km (6,200 mi) between their southern wintering grounds and Arctic breeding grounds.
Black guillemots, one of the more fashionable birds of the Arctic, are noted for changing their color to match their surroundings. The higher in latitude a guillemot is found, the whiter its plumage will be. They also have specific habits regarding how they hold fish in their beaks. Although this feature is still unknown, some believe it has something to do with the areas these birds prefer to hunt.
A Brünnich’s guillemot is the bird that uses the most energy when flying, but its abundance more thanmakes up for its inefficiency. It is one of the Northern Hemisphere’s most abundant bird species. Additionally skilled divers, Brünnich’s guillemots can descend as far as 150 meters (500 feet) and remain submerged for up to four minutes. Scientists believe that by absorbing gases into their bones and releasing them into their bodies during a dive, these Arctic birds can avoid lung collapse and diving sickness.
Little auks are the most prevalent bird in the Arctic during a Svalbard cruise, much like kittiwakes are in the far north. They have the largest colonies of all the auks, sometimes reaching millions. In fact, the sheer size of little auk populations has a big influence on their breeding grounds because the nutrient-rich fertilizer left by their droppings allows plants to flourish where there would otherwise be nothing but bare ground.
The phrase “five-finger discount” has a new meaning thanks to these Arctic birds. Arctic skuas are believed to supplement up to 2095% of their winter diet through theft, as they are well-known for their skill at larceny. Furthermore, these birds enjoy adding hurt to their insults by beating the birds they steal from until they give up food.
Long-tailed skuas are the smallest but not the least aggressive members of the skua family; they have been known to harass other Arctic birds to the point where they drop their food (much like Arctic skuas). ) Long-tailed skuas hunt for rodents during the breeding season, swooping down on their prey and pecking them to deathnot the most humane way to get rid of pests.
Outside of the United Kingdom and Canada, these relatives of the grouse are known by a variety of names, including “rock ptarmigans,” “thunder birds,” “hare feet,” “croakers” in Gaelic, and occasionally “snow chicken” in America. Male ptarmigans are known for their croaking song.
By any measure, twenty million years is a long time, and that’s how long scientists think the great northern diver has lived. Great Northern Divers are the oldest and most primitive birds on Earth. Unlike other birds, they have some solid bones instead of hollow ones. This helps these Arctic birds gain weight when they dive, but it also gets in the way of their ability to take off.
By P199 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons.jpg
These Arctic birds, also called red-throated loons, are the most widely distributed members of the diver family. The smallest subspecies of divers, red-throated divers reach lengths of 55 to 67 cm (22 to 26 in) and breed mainly in the Arctic. During breeding season, their red throat patch becomes more vibrant, and the rest of the year, it becomes grayer. International treaties safeguard red-throated divers because of their threatened status.
Groups of this Arctic bird, the only large gull found in the farthest north, are called by a variety of imaginative names, including squabbles, screeches, scavengings, and gulleries. This is expected since glaucous gulls are scavengers that frequently raid other bird colonies in quest of eggs and young. Additionally, they will hover over foxes and people in the hopes that a distraction will allow them to capture their prey without being noticed.
Black-backed gulls breed in Iceland, where we usually see them in smaller numbers, but these Arctic birds also nest along Europe’s Atlantic coasts. They eat anything that they can find, like most gulls, which includes fish, crustaceans, insects, worms, mollusks, starfish, seeds, small mammals, berries, eggs, chicks, scraps, offal, and carrion.
With a wingspan of up to one hundred meters, these unique birds are the biggest gulls in the world. grow to a maximum length of 7 meters (5 feet, 7 inches) and 6479 cm (2531 inches) in length. The Arctic regions of Iceland, northern Russia, Scandinavia, and southern Greenland are home to great black-backed gulls, which winter as far south as Florida. They are also scavengers, eating nearly anything they can swallow.
The population of ivory gulls has been declining since the 1980s, and it is estimated that they have lost up to 85% of their total number in Canada alone. They lay the highest concentrations of DDT and PCB-containing eggs of any bird on Earth, making them the planet’s most polluted bird. These birds produce tiny nuggets from the animals they eat, which they then spit back up. They are known to cast pellets. Etiquette in the Arctic has a loose interpretion.
For the majority of the year, red phalaropes are waders, and in the winter, they frequently spend time in the ocean. These Arctic birds, known in Europe as grey phalaropes, feed on whale lice. Following mating, females migrate southward, leaving males to tend to the eggs and raise the offspring. Even more atypically, the stay-at-home father is less colorful and bright than the female red phalarope.
Unfortunately, the pink-footed goose, which is the most common goose in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, releases a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when it forages for food. The largest nesting goose on Svalbard, pink-footed geese are better equipped than other geese to defend their young from Arctic foxes because of their size. This enables these Arctic birds to nest farther inland.
Because medieval zoophiles believed that barnacle geese were descended from barnacles, the name Because it was thought that these Arctic birds originated from driftwood, some Irish clerics approved the consumption of their meat on days when Catholics fasted. However, Pope Innocent III disapproved of their viewpoint and ended the practice in 1215.
This Arctic bird, also known as the brent goose, breeds along the coast and consumes seaweed, eel grass, and sea lettuce. On some of our trips to Northern Norway, Svalbard, and Iceland are where we occasionally spot brant geese. These are tiny birds with short bills that measure between 55 and 66 cm (22 and 26 inches) in length. Similar to barnacle geese, these birds were believed to be related to crustaceans during the Middle Ages.
By Adam Shaw [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
The nearest surviving relatives of the now-extinct great auk are these Arctic seabirds, which belong to the auk family. Razorbills are found along the coasts of eastern Greenland and Iceland during the breeding season. In addition, they are occasionally spotted in Northern Norway. Polar bears, Arctic foxes, and other seabirds are among the predators of razorbills, which eat mid-water schooling fish.
By Melissa McMasters from Memphis, TN, United States [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
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Turnstones are among the migratory wonders of the Arctic bird world, last on the list but certainly not least loved. They can travel over 1,000 km (600 miles) in a single day, 27,000 km (16,700 miles) in a year, and 500,000 km (310,000 miles) in their lifetime. Scientists rarely study turnstones because they live so far north, but they are aware that these birds hunch their backs and lower their tails before a fight. Holding your ground is crucial when you travel as much as a turnstone.
How many birds will I see during an Arctic cruise?
15 to 30 different species may be seen, depending on the cruise itinerary, month, and location. Some of the largest bird colonies, such as Rubini Rock in Franz Josef Land or Bass Rock in the British Isles, can have up to 150,000 birds at a time, depending on the number of birds that visitors can see there.
Can I see penguins in the Arctic?
You would need to take an Antarctic cruise to see penguins, as they are not found in the Arctic. Nonetheless, the diversity of Arctic birds can be surprisingly high, with some specieslike the Brunnichs guillemoteven having some striking black-and-white similarities to their non-flying counterparts.
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