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IS046
Grímsey
Location Iceland, Eyjafjar-arsýsla
Central coordinates 18o 0.00' West  66o 33.00' North
IBA criteria A4i, A4ii, A4iii, B1i, B1ii, B3
Area 2,300 ha
Altitude 0 - 105m
Year of IBA assessment 2000

Fuglavernd - BirdLife Iceland (Partner Designate)



Ornithological information Huge numbers of seabird breed; other common species include Fulmarus glacialis, Uria lomvia (c.7,100 pairs) and Sterna paradisaea (hundreds of pairs).

Site description An offshore island with sea cliffs and grasslands. Land-uses include sheep farming, fishing, tourism, collection of eggs of Uria aalge, and traditional harvesting of adult puffins Fratercula arctica.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla breeding  1983  54,400 breeding pairs  good  A4i, B1i  Least Concern 
Common Guillemot Uria aalge breeding  1985  54,400-69,600 breeding pairs  -  B1ii  Least Concern 
Razorbill Alca torda breeding  -  26,300-38,800 breeding pairs  good  A4ii, B1ii, B3  Least Concern 
Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica breeding  -  10,000 breeding pairs  -  B1ii  Least Concern 
A4iii Species group - waterbirds breeding  1993  -  unknown  A4iii   
A4iii Species group - seabirds breeding  -  -  unknown  A4iii   

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Grassland   20%
Sea Open Sea  60%
Coastline Sea cliffs and rocky shores  20%

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
agriculture -
hunting -
tourism/recreation -

Management considerations Disturbance of birds by tourists and hunters is a threat, as is egg-collecting. The area is on the list of sites of conservation interest in the Nature Conservation Register.

Protection status National None International None

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Grímsey. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 23/05/2013

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife