Kingdom of Norway
Norway is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of Norway. Bouvet Island, located in the Subantarctic, is a dependency, and not a part of the Kingdom; Norway also claims the Antarctic territories of Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land. Norway has a population of over 5.6 million; about one fifth of whom live in Oslo, its capital and largest city. The country has a total area of 385,207 km2 (148,729 square miles). It shares a long eastern border with Sweden, and is bordered by Finland and Russia to the northeast. Norway has an extensive coastline facing the Skagerrak strait, the North Atlantic Ocean, and the Barents Sea.
The rugged coastline is broken by huge fjords and thousands of islands. The coastal baseline is 2,532 kilometres (1,573 miles). The coastline of the mainland including fjords stretches 28,953 kilometres (17,991 miles), when islands are included the coastline has been estimated to 100,915 kilometres (62,706 miles). Norway shares a 1,619-kilometre (1,006 mile) land border with Sweden, 727 kilometres (452 miles) with Finland, and 196 kilometres (122 miles) with Russia to the east. To the north, west and south, Norway is bordered by the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea, and Skagerrak. The Scandinavian Mountains form much of the border with Sweden.
Sognefjorden Fjord – ©Giuseppe Milo CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Much of the country is dominated by mountainous or high terrain, with a great variety of natural features caused by prehistoric glaciers and varied topography. The most noticeable of these are the fjords. Sognefjorden is the world’s second deepest fjord, and the world’s longest at 204 kilometres (127 miles). The lake Hornindalsvatnet is the deepest lake in Europe. Norway has about 400,000 lakes and 239,057 registered islands. Permafrost can be found all year in the higher mountain areas and in the interior of Finnmark county. There are also Numerous glaciers. The land is mostly made of hard granite and gneiss rock, but slate, sandstone, and limestone are also common, and the lowest elevations contain marine deposits.
Because of the Gulf Stream and prevailing westerlies, Norway experiences higher temperatures and more precipitation than expected at such northern latitudes, especially along the coast. The mainland experiences four distinct seasons, with colder winters and less precipitation inland. The northernmost part has a mostly maritime Subarctic climate, while Svalbard has an Arctic tundra climate. The southern and western parts of Norway, fully exposed to Atlantic storm fronts, experience more precipitation and have milder winters than the eastern and far northern parts. Areas to the east of the coastal mountains are in a rain shadow, and have lower rain and snow totals than the west. The lowlands around Oslo have the warmest summers, but also cold weather and snow in wintertime. The sunniest weather is along the south coast, but sometimes even the coast far north can be very sunny – the sunniest month with 430 sun hours was recorded in Tromsø.
Because of Norway’s high latitude, there are large seasonal variations in daylight. From late May to late July, the sun never completely descends beneath the horizon in areas north of the Arctic Circle, and the rest of the country experiences up to 20 hours of daylight per day. Conversely, from late November to late January, the sun never rises above the horizon in the north, and daylight hours are very short in the rest of the country. Apart from the ‘midnight sun’ Norway also has the Aurora borealis aka the Northern lights.
Aurora Borealis, Djupvik, Troms Fylke – ©Carsten CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The very northernmost coast of Norway would be ice-covered in winter if not for the Gulf Stream. The east of the country has a more continental climate, and the mountain ranges have subarctic and tundra climates. There is also higher rainfall in areas exposed to the Atlantic, especially the western slopes of the mountain ranges and areas close, such as Bergen. The valleys east of the mountain ranges are the driest; some of the valleys are sheltered by mountains in most directions. Saltdal Municipality in Nordland is the driest place with just 8.3 inches precipitation annually. In southern Norway, Skjåk Municipality in Innlandet county gets 11.6 inches. Finnmarksvidda and some interior valleys of Troms county receive around 16 inches, and the high Arctic Longyearbyen 8.5 inches. Parts of southeastern Norway including parts of Mjøsa have a humid continental climate, the southern and western coasts and also the coast north to Bodø have an oceanic climate, and the outer coast further north almost to North Cape has a subpolar oceanic climate. Further inland in the south and at higher altitudes, and also in much of Northern Norway, the subarctic climate dominates.
Lake Oldevatnet – ©Sergey Ashmarin CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Large parts of Norway are covered by mountains and high-altitude plateaus, and about one third of the land is above the treeline and thus exhibit tundra/alpine/polar climate.
Norway has a larger number of different habitats than almost any other European country. There are approximately 60,000 species in Norway and adjacent waters (excluding bacteria and viruses). The Norwegian Shelf large marine ecosystem is considered highly productive. The total number of species include 16,000 species of insects (probably 4,000 more species yet to be described), 2,800 species of vascular plants, 450 species of birds (250 species nesting in Norway), 90 species of mammals including Elk, and Brown & Polar Bears, 45 fresh-water species of fish. Norway contains five terrestrial ecoregions: Sarmatic mixed forests, Scandinavian coastal conifer forests, Scandinavian and Russian taiga, Kola Peninsula tundra, and Scandinavian montane birch forest and grasslands.
Birding Norway
Norway stretches 1800 kilometers in a north-south direction, and while the coastal areas are humid and surprisingly warm in winter, this is not the case once you move inland. The fjordlands and mountains in the west, woodlands in the east and arctic conditions in the north probably makes Norway one of the most diverse countries regarding habitats.
Some of the best places to go birding in southern Norway are located along the south-western coasts between Lista and Stavanger. Lista Bird Observatory is one of the largest and definitely has the best coverage of Norwegian bird observatories, and is located in Farsund commune south of Flekkefjord. This area is good for anything, including raptors and shorebirds. Further west, just south of Stavanger, there is the Jaeren wetland system. There is lots of good wetland- and coastal birding here. Both Lista and Jaeren are best during migration, and so hold few or none of the Scandinavian specialities. If you visit Oslo, then the northern parts of the lake Öyeren to the east of the city is well worth a visit, particularly in spring and early autumn.
Hardangervidda National Park – ©Ilya Grigorik CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The best mountain birding in southern Norway is at Hardangervidda. Sought-after species such as Long-tailed Skua, Gyr Falcon, Great Snipe, Temminck’s Stint, Red-necked Phalarope, Horned Lark, Bluethroat and Lapland Longspur all breed here.
Woodlands in the east and central part of the country hold a variety of owls and woodpeckers, most easily found in early spring. Woodland birding can be difficult – it is all about finding the right spots and it helps if you can identify birds from songs and calls.
Seabird colonies are scattered all around the coasts of Norway, but auks are scarce breeders south of the famous bird island Runde near Ålesund. Other large seabird concentrations are in the Lofotan islands, and Röst in particular, as well as along the Varanger peninsula. Birding the arctic along Varanger and in Pasvik is probably the most spectacular birding Norway can offer, the seabird migration in May is astonishing and arctic specialities such as Steller’s Eider, King Eider, Brünnich’s Guillemot, Siberian Tit and Siberian Jay are easily added to a trip-list together with lots of other good birds.
Lofotan Islands – ©Strokin.Ru CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Birding is still a minority pastime in Norway, with a few hundred really active birders and around 9,000 members of Norsk Ornitologisk Forening the Norwegian BirdLife International partner. That figure is twice what it was a decade ago, so things are looking up, albeit slowly. Lots of good birds go undetected, we are only able to cover a tiny fraction of the thousands of islands along the coast each autumn, when eastern rarities turn up almost everywhere.
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Alf Tore Mjøs
Birding Norway | contact@birdingnorway.no
https://www.birdingnorway.no
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Number of bird species: 547
(As at April 2015)National Bird:
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Avibase
PDF ChecklistThis checklist includes all bird species found in Norway , based on the best information available at this time. It is based on a wide variety of sources that I collated over many years. I am pleased to offer these checklists as a service to birdwatchers. If you find any error, please do not hesitate to report them. -
Avibase - Svalbard
PDF ChecklistBirdlife Logo This checklist includes all bird species found in Svalbard , based on the best information available at this time. It is based on a wide variety of sources that I collated over many years. I am pleased to offer these checklists as a service to birdwatchers. If you find any error, please do not hesitate to report them. -
BirdLife - Svalbard
PDF Checklist241 different bird species have been recorded in Svalbard per 01.10.2024. Of these, 45 species are considered annual breeding birds. -
Birding Norway
Annotated List -
E-Bird
PDF ChecklistThis checklist is generated with data from eBird (ebird.org), a global database of bird sightings from birders like you. If you enjoy this checklist, please consider contributing your sightings to eBird. It is 100% free to take part, and your observations will help support birders, researchers, and conservationists worldwide. -
Wikipedia
Annotated ListThis is a list of the bird species recorded in Norway. The avifauna of Norway included a total of 547 species and a species pair recorded in the wild by October 2022 according to the Norwegian Ornithological Society (Norsk Ornitologisk Forening, NOF) with supplemental additions from Avibase.[1] Of the 539 entries listed here, 4 have been introduced by humans.
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A Birdwatcher's Guide to Norway
| (Where, When and How to find the Birds of Norway including Svalbard) | By Bjorn Olav Tveit | OPelagic Publishing | 2024 | Edition 2 | Flexibound | 460 pages, 265 Col photos, 95 colour maps | ISBN: 9781784275082 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Birding Varanger
| The Biotope Guide to the Best Bird Sites in Arctic Norway | By Tormod Amundsen | Biotope | 2015 | 200 pages, 100 colour photos, 30 colour maps | ISBN: 9788269015805 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Birds of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East
| Photographic Guide | By Frédéric Jiguet & Aurélien Audevard | PUP | 2017 | Paperback | 447 pages, 2200 colour photos, colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9780691172439 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Collins Bird Guide
| By Lars Svensson | Harper Collins | Edition 3 | 2023 | Paperback | 478 pages, 4000+ colour illustrations, 700 colour distribution maps | ISBN: 9780008547462 Buy this book from NHBS.com
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Akerøya Ornitologiske Stasjon
Observatory WebsiteSatellite ViewAkerøya Bird Observatory, located on the east side of the Oslo fjord in the south-east of Norway. Latest observations, ringing results and pictures. -
Jomfruland Fuglestasjon
Observatory WebsiteSatellite ViewNow in both Norwegian & English! Jomfruland Bird Observatory is situated at the north tip of the island of Jomfruland. Making up the outer coast line in this section of the gulf of Skagerak, the island consists largely of boulderes only. Migrating birds follow the coast line, and pass the northern tip both in spring and autumn. Add some scenic and varied nature, and this makes up an extraordinary experience for the nature lover… -
Lista Fuglestasjon
Observatory WebsiteSatellite ViewThe total of observations made at the Observatory… -
Slettnes Fuglestasjon
Observatory WebsiteSatellite ViewSlettnes lighthouse is the northernmost mainland lighthouse in the world! Most birders associate Arctic Norway with the Varanger Peninsula, but there is a little known peninsula between Varanger and North Cape, named Nordkyn… -
Turoy Bird Observatory
Observatory WebsiteSatellite ViewTuroy Bird Observatory is located on the outer coastline NW of Bergen, half an hours drive from the city centre. We have ringed birds on this site in 1993 (end of September-October) and from the end of July in 1995-98. We use around 30 mist nets placed in different vegetation on the eastern part of this small island. On Turoy we do not trap large numbers of typical ringing station species such as goldcrest and tits, instead our target species are storm petrel, meadow pipit, Sylvia-warblers and thrushes. We borrow an old school house from the local people, who have been very cooperative and given us their permission to erect mistnets almost wherever we like. -
Utsira Bird Observatory
Observatory WebsiteSatellite ViewUtsira is a small island 24 km southwest of Haugesund. It's geographical site and size makes Utsira an unique place in Norway. Utsira is the site which has the most records of birds new to Norway. The Utsira Bird Observatory was formally established the autumn of 1992.
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BirdLife Finnmark County NOF
WebpageThe Norwegian Ornithological Society (NOF) is the society for birding and bird protection! At the moment we have approximately 3,700 members all over Norway. Except for Sogn og Fjordane there is a department in every county. In addition there are 57 local groups. All groups and departments arrange both meetings and excursions. They also take part in a variety of projects for information and bird protection. Several birding magazines (mostly in Norwegian) are published… -
BirdLife Trøndelag
WebpageBirdLife Norge avdeling Trøndelag består av ni lokallag med totalt noe over 1500 betalende medlemmer. -
BirdLife avdeling Oslo og Akershus
WebsiteFylkesavdelingen Oslo og Akershus har i dag 3410 medlemmer, men vi har plass til flere og ønsker deg derfor hjertelig velkommen! -
Dalane Lokallag NOF - BirdLife Norge
WebsiteObservations, activities etc. (in Norwegian) -
La Naturens Puls Slå
WebsiteNorsk Ornitologisk Forening, Sandgata 30 B, 7012 Trondheim, Tlf. 73 84 16 40 - nof@birdlife.no The Norwegian Ornithological Society (NOF) is the organisation for bird protection and conservation in Norway! NOF has about 6000 members. The members constitue the societys backbone, and by becoming a NOF-member you will give us a hand in protecting the birds, and you will appreciate the offers and information NOF gives you… -
Norwegian Rarities Committee
WebsiteThe website is only in Norwegian
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*List of national parks of Norway
InformationSatellite ViewBackground and interactive list of the 48 parks -
*Nature reserves in Norway
InformationSatellite ViewInteractive list of Norway's nature reserves -
Wetlands
InformationSatellite ViewNorway currently has 63 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 909,134 hectares.
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BirdQuest
Tour OperatorBirding in the Land of the Midnight Sun -
Birding Ecotours
Tour OperatorNorway incl. Svalbard Birding Tours -
Birding Norway
Local Tour OperatorAre you visiting Norway for birding? Then you have come to the right place! Birding Norway is a brand new offer for those who don't want to waste any time searching for the best birding sites -
Birdwatching Norway
Tour OperatorBirdwatching Norway offers guided birding tours in Norway and Scandinavia. Both fixed tours and custom tours. A custom tour can be adapted to suit your preferences. Whether you are eager twitchers, bird photographers or more relaxed birders. -
FieldGuides
Tour OperatorA Cruise to the Norwegian Arctic -
HeatherLea
Tour OperatorScandinavian spring birding in the land of the midnight sun. -
Natural Born Birder
Tour OperatorGuided birding trips and more... -
Naturalist Journeys
Tour OperatorNaturalist Journeys tour to Finland and Norway at the height of spring bird activity in the far north of Europe! This tour offers opportunities to observe a wonderful collection of Arctic and boreal birds, including Great Gray and Boreal Owl, Red-flanked Bluetail, Siberian Jay, Black Grouse, Western Capercaillie, and so many more. -
NatureTrek
Tour OperatorWildlife Holidays in Norway -
Rockjumper
Tour OperatorFinland & Norway - Forests and Fjords -
Sunrise Birding
Tour OperatorLapland & the Varanger Peninsula -
innature
Tour Operatorirdwatching Tours with Finnature
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2016 [07 July] - John Coons - Spitsbergen & the Svalbard Archipelago
Report...We enjoyed a wonderful time in the far, far north aboard the Ortelius, while seeing great birds, bears, walrus and fantastic scenery. We started out in Longyearbyen, where we got our birding underway with close views of Red Phalarope, Purple Sandpiper, and Common Ringed Plover, a locally rare Iceland Gull, King and Common eiders and lots of Barnacle Geese, while the songs of Snow Buntings chimed in... -
2018 [04 April] - Diedert Koppenol - Varanger and Northern Finland
PDF ReportFrom 6 April to 16 April 2018 a group of Dutch Birders visited Norway and northern Finland to try and observe the Scandinavian specialities. We flew from Amsterdam to Kirkenes where we picked up our rental car. We birded along the Norwegian coast and went south via Inari to visit Kuusamo. From there we went up back north to Pasvik and ended in Kirkenes again to catch our flight back to Amsterdam. -
2018 [06 June] - Hannu Jännes - Finland & Arctic Norway
PDF ReportThis year’s Birdquest tour to Finland and Norway was once again a great success. Not only did we find the great majority of target birds, we were able to enjoy them in the stunning landscapes of the “Land of the midnight sun” with its almost endless boreal forests, countless lakes, wet bogs, mighty rivers, partly snow covered fells and the rugged coast of the Arctic Ocean that teems with birdlife... -
2018 [07 July] - Mike Watson - Spitsbergen
PDF ReportAfter last year’s unusually icy voyage, this year’s 15 days cruise in Svalbard aboard the wonderful SV Noorderlicht was back to the recent trend of no sea ice around Spitsbergen and we were able to get all the way around the main island unhindered again. -
2018 [08 August] - Paul Dufour - Svalbard – Isfjorden
PDF ReportI spent two months in Svalbard during the summer 2018 as a field assistant for the Norwegian Polar Institut. -
2019 [06 June] - Nigel Redman - Finland & Norway
PDF ReportNorthern Fenno-Scandia (Lapland) is a classic European birding destination. This year’s itinerary combined the boreal forests, lakes, and marshes of northern Finland with the fjords and tundra of northern Norway, with great success -
2020 [04 April] - Julian Bell - Haltenbank Medley
ReportBirding the Norwegian sector of the North Sea - Kittiwakes breeding on offshore platforms. -
2022 [02 February] - Anand Ramesh - Finnmark
PDF ReportHaving met a Danish wildlife photographer in 2020 in Finland, who had told me about the spectacle of seaducks in winter in Northern Norway, including King and Steller’s Eider and the concept of floating hides for photography, some time off in mid February 2022 was a perfect opportunity to see this for myself as well as experience a winter in the far North with the possibility of the Aurora Borealis -
2022 [06 June] - Finland & Norway - Gerard Gorman
PDF ReportThis first Naturalist Journey’s trip to Finland and Norway was a great success! A fabulous tour that took in two captivating and friendly countries and many wonderful places and habitats within them. From the taiga forest, peatbogs and lakes of Finland to the tundra, mountains and Arctic coast of the Barents Sea in Norway. -
2022 [06 June] - Svalbard - Dominic Rollinson - Birding Ecotours
PDF Report2 | T R I P R E P O R T Svalbard Cruise June 2022 www.birdingecotours.com info@birdingecotours.com Overview A Svalbard birding and mammal cruise is a trip like no other and delivers a fantastic selection of iconic Arctic birds and wildlife. Our cruise left from Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen) in the Svalbard Archipelago (part of Norway) and we spent a week exploring the area’s many scenic fjords and vast pack ice. In the Arctic, the name of the game is ‘quality over quantity’ with many dream species often showing incredibly well and allowing close-up looks. This, together with the spectacular 24 hours of daylight in summer, makes it a dream destination for photographers, birders and wildlife enthusiasts alike. -
2023 [03 March] - Roland van der Vliet
PDF ReportSweden, Norway & Finland -
2023 [06 June] - Dominic Rollinson - Svalbard
PDF Report...Most people have likely heard of the large charismatic megafauna which occur in the Arctic such as Polar Bear, Walrus and Arctic Fox, and these are of course targeted (and usually found) on these cruises. However, there is also a suite of lesser-known birds and mammals which we look for too, such as Ivory Gull, King Eider, and Bearded Seal... -
2024 [03 March] - Jon Lehmberg
PDF ReportSeeing StellerÕs and King Eiders in large numbers on the Varanger Peninsula in Norway, and seeing them really well, has been a wish for the both of us for such a long time.... -
2024 [03 March] - Menno van Duijn
PDF ReportArctic birds in the winter speak to the imagination from the colorful eider ducks, splendid Pine Grosbeaks to the seabird colonies. A visit to the Varangerfjord in combination with the taiga forest birds was on the bucket list for a long time. -
2024 [05 June] - Paul Varney
PDF Report...Willow and Rock Ptarmigan were frequently encountered along with large numbers of huge White-tailed Eagles and the island of Hornoya with its vast seabird colony proved a memorable experience... -
2024 [05 May] - Paul Varney
PDF Report...The birds, while not vast in number of species were spectacular and the high arctic part of the tour produced some special species; Arctic (Blackthroated), Red-throated and hugely impressive, Yellow-billed Loons, sparkling Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs and freshly arrived Red-throated Pipit and brightly adorned Bluethroat... -
2024 [06 June] - Gerard Gorman
PDF Report...a magnificent male Western Capercaillie, an incredibly confiding Eurasian Dotterel, many Ruff in their varied breeding plumages... -
2024 [06 June] - John Carlson - Spitsbergen
PDF ReportAnnotated list -
2024 [07 July] - Frank van Groen - Northwest Spitsbergen
PDF Report...I made this birdwatchingtrip as a participant of the dutch travel agency SNP Natuurreizen...
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Birding on the Veranger Peninsula
WebsiteMorten Günther - The Varanger peninsula is located in the very northeast of Norway. The Arctic landscape is unique in mainland Europe, the geology is particularly interesting, and both flora and fauna have elements which are not found anywhere else in Fennoscandia… -
Birds in Hordaland - Fugler i Hordaland
WebsiteCounty birding news, the best birding sites, galleries, mailing list, local rarities comittee and much more from Hordaland county on the western coast of Norway. Norwegian only… -
Fugler (Birds)
WebsiteLooks like all sorts of goodies - mostly just in Norwegian. -
Natural Born Birder
WebsiteIn 2006 I will start what seems to be a unique project within Norway - the daily systematic counting of migrating of seabirds as they head north up the Norwegian coast. At present there is no external funding whatsoever but I just had to do it anyway -
NetNatur
WebsiteCatch all nature site.
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Frank Droge
GallerySvalbard photos -
Photographer - Eirik Gr
GalleryEirik Gr -
Photographer - Jonas Langbratens
Gallery & BlogJeg legger ut en del fugle- og naturbilder på Facebook, noe som faller i smak både hos venner med samme naturinteresse som meg selv, og hos venner som jevnlig forer Facebook med annet innhold. Det siste halve året har det sosiale nettverket til tider flommet over av diverse fotoutfordringer. Venner og bekjente utfordrer hverandre til å legge ut syv bilder i løpet av syv dager, i tillegg til å utfordre videre. Selv ble jeg utfordret av Børge Mørkve-Simonsen til å vise syv av mine naturbilder, og jeg ble da inspirert til å grave litt i bildearkivet. Jeg tenkte at jeg skulle finne på en egen vri på utfordringen, og det gjorde jeg ved at jeg kun presenterte bilder fra før jeg ble med på Facebook, det vil si sommeren 2007.