Lundey ( Icelandic: , "

Puffin Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...

Island") is a small, uninhabited

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

Skagafjörður Skagafjörður () is a deep fjord and its valley in northern Iceland. Location Skagafjörður, the fjord, is about 40 km long and 15 km wide, situated between Tröllaskagi to the east and the Skagi, Skagi Peninsula to the west. Ther ...

fjord located about from the eastern mouth of the Héraðsvötn River, in northern

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

. It is one of three islands in the bay, the others being Málmey, and Drangey. Lundey is low lying and grassy with an area of approximately ."Lundey in Skagafjörður Lundey"
/ref> The island is about long and wide. Its name in Icelandic means "Puffin"; And each summer,

Atlantic Puffin The Atlantic puffin ('), also known as the common puffin, is a species of seabird in the auk family (biology), family. It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean; two related species, the tufted puffin and the horned puffin being found ...

breed on the island's cliffs hence its name. The island is only accessible by boat and lies approximately from the nearest harbor in the town of

Sauðárkrókur Sauðárkrókur () is a Localities of Iceland, town on the Skagafjörður in northern Iceland. It is the seat of both the Skagafjörður (municipality), Sveitarfélagið Skagafjörður ('Municipality of Skagafjörður') and the Northwestern Re ...

. There are two other islands known as Lundey in Iceland; One in Skjálfandi Bay in northern Iceland and another near

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

History

Though uninhabited, there is one standing structure on Lundey and viewed from above the island shows evidence of historically collapsed

buildings A building or edifice is an enclosed structure with a roof, walls and windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, and have been adapted throughout ...

Environment

Arctic Skua and Northern Fulmar, are common around Lundey during the Summer in addition to a nesting population of over 20,000 pairs of Atlantic Puffins. The sizable population makes up about 1% of Iceland's total puffin count and is considered an internationally important seabird settlement.

References

{{Coord, 65, 45, 44.4, N, 19, 27, 02.2, W, region:IS_type:isle, display=title Islands of Iceland