Rare sighting on Snæfellsnes
Cattle Egrets are only seen on very rare occasions in Iceland. mbl.is/Alfons
A Cattle Egret (kúhegri) was spotted earlier today west of Ólafsvíkurenni on the Snæfellsnes peninsula — a very rare sighting in Iceland.
The Cattle Egret typically inhabits much warmer regions, breeding in countries such as France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and across large parts of Africa.
Bird expert Jóhann Óli Hilmarsson told mbl.is that climate change is leading to more frequent appearances of southern bird species in Iceland.
Cattle Egrets usually stay close to cattle, but will settle for horses if no cattle are around. mbl.is/Alfons
Seen occasionally in recent years
“Cattle Egrets were extremely rare here until recent years, when they started to appear from time to time. This autumn has brought an unusual number of rare species — for example, around ten Glossy Ibises have been seen, likely more than ever before in Iceland — but this is the first Cattle Egret I’ve heard of this fall,” Hilmarsson said.
He added that it is not impossible that such birds could visit Iceland more regularly in the future, and perhaps even begin nesting here.
“It could certainly happen. Grey Herons are now breeding in East Iceland, something no one expected. The same might eventually happen with Cattle Egrets, though they would always remain migratory birds since they couldn’t survive the winter here,” Hilmarsson explained.
Unlike the Cattle Egret, the Grey Heron has long overwintered in Iceland, but it has not yet started breeding here.
