Ask a Birder

Ask a Birder: How Do Plants Arrive on a New Island?

January 14, 2026 by Kai Pflug 2 Comments

Surtsey is a volcanic island that only formed in 1963. As it was created from lava rising above the sea level, it initially was sterile – completely barren. By now, it has 78 species of larger (vascular) plants. How did they get there?

This being 10,000 Birds (we essentially get paid to spread bird-positive propaganda, except that unfortunately, we do not get paid), the answer is obvious: They were brought there by humans.

No, of course not. Birds is the correct answer. Apparently, gulls, geese, and shorebirds brought the seeds of these plants to the island – in their stomachs or (a tiny bit later) in their droppings.

To give you a proper quote from a genuine scientist, Dr. Pawel Wasowicz of the Natural Science Institute of Iceland: “Birds turned out to be the true pioneers of Surtsey—carrying seeds of plants that, according to conventional theories, shouldn’t be able to get there” (source).

The full paper – with the slightly off-putting title “Putative ‘Dispersal Adaptations’ Do Not Explain the Colonisation of a Volcanic Island by Vascular Plants, but Birds Can” – can be found here.

What would sterile islands – and certain websites – do without birds?

Photo: “‘Surtsey Island’ — ‘Iceland Revealed’ National Museum of Natural History (DC) May 2016” by Ron Cogswell is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Written by Kai Pflug
Kai has lived in Shanghai for 22 years. He only started birding after moving to China, so he is far more familiar with Chinese birds than the ones back in his native Germany. As a birder, he considers himself strictly average and tries to make up for it with photography, which he shares on a separate website. Alas, most of the photos are pretty average as well. He hopes that few clients of his consulting firm—focused on China’s chemical industry—ever find this blog, as it might raise questions about his professional priorities. Much of his time is spent either editing posts for 10,000 Birds or cleaning the litter boxes of his numerous indoor cats. He occasionally considers writing a piece comparing the two activities.