Birds in the fjord landscape

The species that are typical for the west Norwegian fjord landscape are registered as breeding in the World Heritage area.

The varied topography with fjords, steep mountains by the fjord, naked rocks and The Ring ouzel. Photo: Vegard Lødøen
thermophilous forests, undisturbed water courses with many waterfalls, and mountain areas
without tree cover, but with heather and marsh, provide for a richly diverse natural habitat and hence a varied birdlife. About 100 species nest in the area. Among these are species typical of the coast and species that are common in the Norwegian mountains. Fifteen of the species registered here are on the Norwegian red list, and eight are species that Norway takes special responsibility for since a large part of the population stay in Norway for parts of the year.

Water birds and wetland birds

The topography in the Geiranger- and Nærøyfjord area is Grey Heron. Photo: Marek Sczcepanek/Creative Commons
dramatic and not especially suitable for waders, seabirds and water birds. The most common water bird is the Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator). The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) who find good nesting grounds along the fjord. Along the many rivers there is a denser population of the Norwegian national bird, the White-throated Dipper (Cinclus cinclus). Most of the marshland is situated in the mountains or in the high mountains, and one can find waders such as Common Snipes (Gallinago gallinago), Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria), Common Redshank (Tringa totanus), Dunlin (Calidris alpina), Purple Sandpiper (Calidris maritima) and Dotterell (Charadrius morinellus).

TheLapwing (Vanellus vanellus) has nests in the wetlands further down. Water birds such as the Wigeon (Anas penelope), Teal (Anas crecca), Common Golden eye (Bucephala clangula) and Scaup (Aythya marila) are nesting by a few mountain lakes. Grånosmyrane wetland reserve in the Nærøyfjord has numerous waders and sparrows, and several of these are rare for the region. Large areas with wetlands like these are not usual for the mountains in the West of Norway. The Lapland Bunting (Calcarius lapponicus) and the Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) are among the species that have nesting grounds here. The population of the Lapland Bunting is one of the most south-westerly on the European continent.

Birds on the mountain sides by the fjord

The noble deciduous forest and other well-developed types of forestry land have a rich bird life. This is especially true of forests with Grey Alder and Bird Cherry, which are known for their large diversity in sparrow species. Patches of earlier agricultural land gives variation in the forestry land, and the transition zone is extremely valuable to the birds. Among birds that are common in the forests by the fjord are the Nuthatch (Sitta europaea), several thrushes, song birds such as Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) and Icterine Warbler (hippolais icterina). The woodpeckers are represented by the Green woodpecker (Picus viridis), Black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius), Wryneck (Jynx torquilla), Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopus major) and White-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopus leucotos).

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The Eurasian Nuthatch (Photo: Adrian Grande)

The many precipitous and partially overhanging rocks are great nesting places for the predatory birds. Both the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) are nesting in the World Heritage area. The Golden Eagle is after a period with very few individuals now well established in both areas. Other predatory birds in the fjord landscape are the Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus), Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) and Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus).

Birds in the mountains

A representative selection of the bird life in the Norwegian mountains can be found in the forest free mountain areas where snow and ice is constantly present. Common species are amongst others Willow grouse (Lagopus lagopus), Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus), Raven (corvus corax), Meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis), Ring ouzel (Turdus torquatus), Ring ouzel (Oenanthe oenanthe), Twite (Carduelis flavirostris), Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria) and several of the other waders previously referred to.