KnowKi

Learn the wildlife of any country

Learn the wildlife of Iceland

Europe

1,692 species have research-grade observations in Iceland on iNaturalist. KnowKi turns the most recorded into short lessons with real photos, so you can learn a country's wildlife from home.

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Āki the kiwi, KnowKi's guide

Most recorded here

The species with the most research-grade observations on iNaturalist, and how many each has. Most recorded doesn't mean native.

Birds

  1. Common Eider Somateria mollissima3,739
  2. Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica3,352
  3. Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis2,570
  4. Redwing Turdus iliacus2,382
  5. Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea2,279
  6. Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus1,962
  7. Greylag Goose Anser anser1,961
  8. Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus1,837
  9. Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus1,721
  10. Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla1,612

Plants

  1. Nootka Lupine Lupinus nootkatensis2,881
  2. Mother of Thyme Thymus praecox2,600
  3. Sea Thrift Armeria maritima2,587
  4. Black crowberry Empetrum nigrum2,110
  5. Sea Campion Silene uniflora2,048
  6. Eight-petal Mountain-Avens Dryas octopetala1,957
  7. Moss Campion Silene acaulis1,768
  8. Alpine Lady's-mantle Alchemilla alpina1,737
  9. Wood crane's-bill Geranium sylvaticum1,582
  10. Woolly Willow Salix lanata1,329

Mammals

  1. Harbor Seal Phoca vitulina1,340
  2. Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae565
  3. Arctic Fox Vulpes lagopus514
  4. Caribou Rangifer tarandus318
  5. Domestic Sheep Ovis aries221
  6. Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus204
  7. Domestic Horse Equus caballus158
  8. Common Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata125
  9. White-beaked Dolphin Lagenorhynchus albirostris122
  10. European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus85

Insects

  1. Broom Moth Ceramica pisi362
  2. White-tailed Bumble Bee Bombus lucorum270
  3. Tree Bumble Bee Bombus hypnorum257
  4. Norwegian Wasp Dolichovespula norwegica130
  5. Heath Bumble Bee Bombus jonellus80
  6. Spear-marked Black Moth Rheumaptera hastata76
  7. Red-thighed St Mark's Fly Bibio pomonae65
  8. Dark Marbled Carpet Dysstroma citrata60
  9. Golden Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria49
  10. Grey Mountain Carpet Entephria caesiata49

Spiders and kin

  1. Cross Orbweaver Araneus diadematus625
  2. Saddleback Harvestman Mitopus morio332
  3. Barn Funnel Weaver Tegenaria domestica68
  4. Intertidal Red Mite Neomolgus littoralis54
  5. Pardosa palustris20
  6. Common Crab Spider Xysticus cristatus19
  7. Megabunus diadema15

Fish

  1. Brown Trout Salmo trutta74
  2. Atlantic Cod Gadus morhua70
  3. Arctic Char Salvelinus alpinus52
  4. Lumpfish Cyclopterus lumpus43
  5. Atlantic Wolffish Anarhichas lupus35
  6. Rock Gunnel Pholis gunnellus30
  7. Pollock Pollachius virens20
  8. Sand Dab Limanda limanda16
  9. European Flounder Platichthys flesus14
  10. Shorthorn Sculpin Myoxocephalus scorpius13

Mollusks

  1. Atlantic Dogwhelk Nucella lapillus195
  2. Common Whelk Buccinum undatum163
  3. Copse Snail Arianta arbustorum131
  4. Ocean Quahog Arctica islandica86
  5. Rough Periwinkle Littorina saxatilis77
  6. Northern Horse Mussel Modiolus modiolus75
  7. Blue Mussel Mytilus edulis54
  8. Tortoiseshell Limpet Testudinalia testudinalis53
  9. Soft-shelled Clam Mya arenaria35
  10. Icelandic Scallop Chlamys islandica26

How a trip works

A trip has its own trail of lessons: meet six species, match them to new photos, then practice with four choices. Species you learn go into your Fieldbook, and starting a trip earns its Passport stamp. Your home place stays as it is.

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Species lists and counts from research-grade observations on iNaturalist, as of October 2026. Free, with no ads, no account and no purchases.