Birds of Svalbard - The Complete Expert Guide to Arctic Bird Photography

The Black guillemot is a medium-sized auk found in Svalbard year-round wherever there is open water. However, most birds that breed in Svalbard probably winter near the ice edge off the archipelago and in the Greenland and Barents Seas. They breed in small, scattered, loose colonies along the coast and on islands, but single nests can also be found several kilometres inland.

Black-legged kittiwakes breed in colonies, with the largest in Svalbard at Hopen, hosting about 46,000 pairs. Along with its red-legged relative in the Pacific, it is the only gull species with just three toes (most birds have four). The Black-legged kittiwake population in the North East Atlantic has declined by as much as 60% between 1980 and 2010 and continues to decrease, making it one of the most threatened bird species in Europe.

The Barnacle goose is a medium-sized goose that breeds mainly in Greenland, Svalbard, and Novaya Zemlya. The Svalbard population is about 40,000 individuals and has increased since the 1940s. Most Barnacle geese breed in colonies on small islands, but some pairs nest on high mountain cliffs to avoid predators such as Arctic foxes and Polar bears. Like all geese, the goslings are not fed by the adults; instead, the newly hatched goslings are led to the ground to feed themselves.

The Brant goose is smaller than both the Barnacle goose and the Pink-footed goose, which also breed in Svalbard. Several subspecies exist, and those breeding in Svalbard and Greenland form the rarest migrating goose population in the world (about 6,800 birds in 2013). Geese, unlike most birds, remain as a family for a whole year until the next breeding season, allowing the young to learn valuable survival skills..

The Common eider is a large (50–71 cm) sea duck seen throughout Svalbard. They are usually seen and photographed at sea or in flight, often in small flocks of 2–10 birds. Eider down is considered one of the most insulating materials in the world and was once an important resource. In 1914, 2,451 kg of eider down was exported from Svalbard to mainland Norway, equivalent to the down from 82,000 nests. Today, only small-scale down collection occurs in Svalbard.

The Common ringed plover is a small wader, notable for its broad black breast band. It breeds in north-eastern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia, Svalbard, and Arctic Russia. In Svalbard, it breeds mainly in western Spitsbergen and on Bjørnøya, arriving towards the end of May or early June.

The dunlin is a small, slender wader, more delicate than the purple sandpiper. It breeds in a circumpolar range across the Arctic and north temperate regions, with several geographically isolated subspecies. Dunlins in Svalbard belong to the Calidris alpina arctica subspecies, which also breeds in north-eastern and southern Greenland. Although one of the world’s most abundant waders, dunlins breed in small numbers in Svalbard, mainly on Bjørnøya and in western Spitsbergen, especially in the Isfjorden and Kongsfjorden areas.

The Glaucous gull is the largest gull in Svalbard, with pale grey upper wings and a white underside. It has a circumpolar, high Arctic breeding distribution and breeds throughout most of Svalbard, either as single pairs or in small colonies, often near other seabird colonies.

King eiders generally have a more northerly distribution than Common eiders, but sometimes form mixed groups. The King eider is slightly smaller and more compact than the Common eider, but the male is one of the most colourful birds in the Arctic, with an orange, green, and blue head and a red bill. The female resembles the common eider female but has a more rounded head and shorter bill.

The Little auk is the only North Atlantic alcid that feeds almost exclusively on zooplankton. As zooplankton is relatively nutrient-poor, little auks must consume around 80% of their body weight each day. They are the smallest and most numerous of the auks, with over one million pairs breeding in Svalbard across more than 200 colonies. The world’s largest known colony is at Thule, Greenland, with about 30 million breeding pairs.

Long-tailed ducks often benefit from breeding near aggressive species such as the Arctic tern, which offer some protection from predators. They are among the deepest-diving ducks, reaching depths of 60 metres, and spend more time underwater than any other duck. Unlike most ducks, which have two moulting seasons per year, the Long-tailed duck has three, making its plumage highly variable.

The Pink-footed goose is the largest of the three goose species nesting in Svalbard. Its pink legs can be hard to spot at a distance or in poor light, but its body is quite distinct from the Barnacle goose and Brant geese. Pink-footed geese are often seen feeding on the tundra or beneath bird cliffs, but they are not easy to photograph, as they are easily disturbed and will fly off even from a few hundred metres away.

The pomarine skua is the second largest skua species in the Arctic, after the Great skua. Adults are recognised by their broad, club-shaped, long tail feathers, which are twisted at the ends. The Pomarine skua does not breed in Svalbard but is regularly observed along the coast and in surrounding waters, especially in areas with glacier or sea ice.

The Purple sandpiper is a small shorebird, slightly larger than the Dunlin, and is the most common wader in Svalbard. It breeds on relatively dry tundra across most of the archipelago and is usually found around inland ponds or in the intertidal zone, feeding on small crustaceans, insects, and other invertebrates. The Purple sandpiper is one of the easiest birds to photograph in Svalbard, as it is not shy and is easily approached by Zodiac when feeding along the shoreline.

The Razorbill usually breeds in temperate and low-Arctic coastal regions of the North Atlantic and is quite rare in Svalbard. The total breeding population in Svalbard is estimated at about 100 pairs, the majority on Bjørnøya. Razorbills from Svalbard most likely winter off southern Norway.

The Red phalarope, or Grey phalarope, is a small wader similar to the Red-necked phalarope. It breeds in Arctic regions of North America, Europe, and northern Siberia. In Svalbard, Red phalaropes breed across most of the archipelago, with the highest densities on Spitsbergen, Tusenøyane, and Bjørnøya. Red phalaropes have “reversed” sex roles: the female performs courtship displays and defends the territory, while the male incubates the nest and rears the young. They can mainly be photographed at sea or in small inland ponds, where they swim in circles to bring food to the surface.

The Red-necked phalarope, also known as the Northern phalarope, is slightly smaller than the Red phalarope, with a thinner bill and red colouring only around the throat and neck. It breeds in a circumpolar range in boreal, sub-Arctic, and Arctic zones, near wet marshes and ponds. In Svalbard, the Red-necked phalarope is less abundant and has a more southern distribution (Bjørnøya and the west coast of Spitsbergen) than the Red phalarope.

The Red-throated diver is the smallest of the world’s four diver species. It is easily recognised in flight by its long neck, which is held outstretched and slightly arched downwards, with the head slightly upturned. The Red-throated diver breeds throughout Svalbard, with the highest nest densities in western Spitsbergen, on Bjørnøya, and within Tusenøyane. It nests on small islands in freshwater lakes, ponds, and lagoons.

Sabine’s gull is another highly sought-after species for birders and photographers visiting Svalbard. It has a dark head and a slightly forked tail. In flight and general body shape, it resembles a tern, being more slender than the kittiwake and with proportionally narrower, longer wings. Sabine’s gulls nest in tundra areas, especially on small islands with freshwater ponds. In Svalbard, Sabine’s gull is a rare but regular breeder on Moffen, Lågøya, Kvitøya, Isfjorden, Storfjorden, and a few other areas.

The snow bunting is the most common passerine species in Svalbard. It is often found near settlements but also breeds among auks in the bird cliffs around Spitsbergen. Like many Arctic species, it has perfectly adapted black and white plumage. The snow bunting is the world’s most northerly breeding passerine and has its own alarm call for Arctic foxes in Svalbard. Remarkably, snow buntings have even been observed at the North Pole.