The Arctic Tern is one of the more beautiful and amazing birds of Iceland. Its white body, black tipped wings and black cap, red bill and feet, along with its “pointy” look and distinctive flying style and loud calls make the Arctic Tern immediately recognizable.
Pretty, but also pretty fierce
This small seabird flies to Iceland and other Arctic and subarctic regions to spend the summer and raise its young, and then when winter comes, it flies all the way to the Antarctic to enjoy the Antarctic summer. It’s migratory pattern is by far the longest in the animal kingdom.
However, any traveller who has come close to a tern colony, can attest to the fact that these beautiful birds are also pretty fierce: Attempting to drive unwanted visitors away, a tern will dive shrieking towards intruders, sometimes also dropping bombs, so to speak, to ensure the message gets through.
A group of youth dive-bombed in the Westfjords
A group of Icelandic youth hoping to photograph the sunset in Arnarfjörður fjord in the Westfjords in North Western Iceland were treated to one such attack, capturing the encounter on film.
Pálína Margrét Þrastardóttir, told the local media service visir.is, that the group could not stop laughing: “This is the funniest thing which has happened, and we have been laughing for ten hours straight”, adding that this was “probably the best Kodak-moment” she had captured on film.
Helpful hint: Carry a long stick!
Note that the Arctic Tern is a protected species, and you should under no circumstances enter or disturb their colonies. However, the tern makes no distinction between friends or foe, and in case you need to pass close to their colonies and wish to keep diving birds at bay, a good trick is to raise a long stick above your head: The birds will dive towards the top of the stick, keeping them at a somewhat safer distance!
Read more: A white-tailed eagle and a vixen caught on film fighting over food
The Arctic Tern is one of the more beautiful and amazing birds of Iceland. Its white body, black tipped wings and black cap, red bill and feet, along with its “pointy” look and distinctive flying style and loud calls make the Arctic Tern immediately recognizable.
Pretty, but also pretty fierce
This small seabird flies to Iceland and other Arctic and subarctic regions to spend the summer and raise its young, and then when winter comes, it flies all the way to the Antarctic to enjoy the Antarctic summer. It’s migratory pattern is by far the longest in the animal kingdom.
However, any traveller who has come close to a tern colony, can attest to the fact that these beautiful birds are also pretty fierce: Attempting to drive unwanted visitors away, a tern will dive shrieking towards intruders, sometimes also dropping bombs, so to speak, to ensure the message gets through.
A group of youth dive-bombed in the Westfjords
A group of Icelandic youth hoping to photograph the sunset in Arnarfjörður fjord in the Westfjords in North Western Iceland were treated to one such attack, capturing the encounter on film.
Pálína Margrét Þrastardóttir, told the local media service visir.is, that the group could not stop laughing: “This is the funniest thing which has happened, and we have been laughing for ten hours straight”, adding that this was “probably the best Kodak-moment” she had captured on film.
Helpful hint: Carry a long stick!
Note that the Arctic Tern is a protected species, and you should under no circumstances enter or disturb their colonies. However, the tern makes no distinction between friends or foe, and in case you need to pass close to their colonies and wish to keep diving birds at bay, a good trick is to raise a long stick above your head: The birds will dive towards the top of the stick, keeping them at a somewhat safer distance!
Read more: A white-tailed eagle and a vixen caught on film fighting over food
