Eider Ducks of Breiðafjörður: The Down-Farming Birds Around Stykkishólmur

A Stronghold for Common Eiders

Breiðafjörður, the wide bay separating the Snæfellsnes peninsula from the Westfjords, holds one of the largest concentrations of common eiders (æður) anywhere in the world. The bay is scattered with an estimated several thousand skerries and islands, and their sheltered, largely predator-free shorelines give eiders exactly what they need to nest in dense colonies each spring and early summer. Stykkishólmur, on Breiðafjörður’s northern shore, sits at the edge of this habitat, which is why the ducks are such a routine sight around the town rather than something you have to travel far to find.

How the Down Is Gathered

Female eiders line their nests with soft down plucked from their own breast, insulating the eggs while leaving the female’s chest bare. This down is the material behind Icelandic eiderdown, prized for its warmth-to-weight ratio in duvets and pillows. Icelandic farmers have harvested it for centuries under a system built around not harming the birds: down is collected from nests only after the ducklings have hatched and left, and only in part, leaving enough behind for insulation. Iceland produces the large majority of the world’s eiderdown each year, and Breiðafjörður’s islands are the country’s main source, supporting small-scale down farms that have operated on some islands for generations.

Spotting Eiders from Stykkishólmur

You do not need a boat trip to see eiders here, though one helps. The harbour itself and the causeway out to Súgandisey, the basalt island guarding the harbour mouth, are reliable places to watch rafts of eiders bobbing on the water or resting along the rocks, particularly from late spring into summer when numbers are highest and females are tending broods close to shore. Males in breeding plumage are unmistakable, with a black-and-white body and a pale green nape; females are mottled brown and easy to overlook until you notice a line of ducklings trailing behind one. Boat tours out into Breiðafjörður’s island cluster give a closer look at nesting colonies from a respectful distance.

• Getting there: Stykkishólmur is about a 2-hour drive from Reykjavík, roughly 170 km via Route 1 and Route 54.
• Best viewing spot in town: the harbour front and the short walk out to Súgandisey, a few minutes from the town centre.
• Timing: late May through July, when nesting and duckling season brings the most activity close to shore.
• What to bring: binoculars, a warm windproof layer for the causeway, and a camera with some zoom.
• Duration: a harbour walk takes about 30–45 minutes; boat tours into Breiðafjörður typically run a few hours.

Where to Stay

The Stykkishólmur Inn sits in the walkable old town, a short stroll from the harbour and the causeway to Súgandisey, so early risers can check on the eiders before breakfast without needing a car. Book direct on Ourhotels.is for the best rate.

Photo: David Stanley via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.