Wildlife on the Faroe Islands

Just like the plant life, Faroese wildlife is poor in species compared to wildlife on the nearest mainlands, and as for the plants, here too, the size and remoteness of the islands play a decisive role. On land, less than 2,000 different species of invertebrates have been recorded, but exactly how many of them form permanent populations is unknown. In addition, otherwise, large, speciesrich groups of insects are missing entirely on the islands, including dragonflies, mayflies and stoneflies.

In addition to introduced salmon and rainbow trout, there are only five naturally occurring species of freshwater fish, while the mammals are represented by three adventive or introduced species and six species of bat that are only random visitors. And although birdlife may seem rich, the majority of the 334 different bird species recorded on the islands are migratory birds and random visitors.

The immigration of animals and the impact of humans

Disregarding the adventive and introduced animal species, the number of species in the Faroe Islands is currently in a more or less natural equilibrium where species regularly become extinct and are replaced by other species that immigrate and establish themselves. Before such an equilibrium could be achieved, however, the rate of immigration far exceeded the rate of extinction.

At the end of the last Ice Age, there was hardly any wildlife in the Faroe Islands. As new land emerged from the ice masses and the first plants began to establish themselves, however, the basis for living was adequate for some of the insects, spiders and other small animals that the wind, water and birds constantly carried with them to survive. Over the following centuries, the number of species grew. However, the growth was unlikely to have been constant, it probably went up and down in sync with variations in climate and changes in plant cover.

It is uncertain what wildlife looked like in the period before the first settlements, landnam. However, there is no doubt that landnam is the event which since the last Ice Age has had the greatest impact on the islands’ wildlife. Although the exact dating of landnam is uncertain, and it probably took place over an extended period, archaeobotanical studies confirm that the impact on nature was significant. Since the first humans settled in areas with many birds, it must be assumed that they were already used as a food source back then. Archaeological excavations have revealed numerous bones from sea birds that breed on the mountain sides, and it is natural to imagine that bird eggs were also part of the diet, not least from greylag geese, terns and seagulls, whose nests were easy to get to. The first humans also brought dogs and maybe also cats, just as it was probably also humans who inadvertently introduced the house mouse to the Faroe Islands.

The impact on wildlife has continued since the time of landnam. Although bird hunting has had consequences for birdlife, the number of humans during the first centuries after landnam was so low that they have been relatively modest. As settlement increased, however, the impact increased significantly, both through increased hunting and through the growing impact that pests and livestock, including the many sheep, gradually had on the wildlife and the landscape.

Most striking is the decline in birdlife. Already in Indberetninger, indhentede paa en allernaadigst befalet, Reise i Færøe i Aarene 1781 og 1782 (Reports collected on a most graciously ordered travel in the Faroe Islands in the years 1781 and 1782) (published for the first time in 1959), J.Chr. Svabo reports on the decline in several bird species, and although some species have experienced periods of increasing numbers, a picture emerges of a birdlife that is only a fraction of what it once was. A very clear example is the many places that are named after birds that no longer exist in the area.

Human impact on wildlife is not limited to birds. At Saksun and Tjørnuvík, for example, there used to be waterholes and lakes, which have since been drained and cultivated. This has meant that the insects that originally lived there have gradually been replaced by common species that are adapted to nutrient-rich grasslands.

The equilibrium, which in untouched biological systems is maintained by constant extinction and immigration, is therefore greatly disturbed by human influence in the Faroe Islands. The picture is further muddied by the many non-indigenous animal species that are deliberately or inadvertently introduced to the islands. Today, the number of species of invertebrates introduced by humans thus exceeds the number of naturally immigrated species.

Non-indigenous and invasive species

Today, the Faroe Islands are home to a number of non-indigenous species that humans have either deliberately introduced or inadvertently brought to the islands. Several of these species have had a negative impact on the natural wildlife and plant life and should therefore be considered invasive.

The first humans who settled in the Faroe Islands brought cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and dogs with them. Rabbits have been introduced on several occasions and since the 17th century, rabbits have periodically formed populations on the islands. Today, domesticated rabbits are kept as pets and are often seen running around the villages. The mountain hare was introduced in the 19th century and can now be found on most islands. The house mouse (Mus musculus) probably came to the islands with the first humans, and in 1768, the first brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) were seen. Today, the brown rat can be found on seven of the 18 islands and has probably contributed to the extinction of more than 100,000 pairs of Atlantic puffin, shearwater and storm petrel.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, attempts were made to introduce both rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) and willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) for hunting purposes, but they failed to establish populations. Mute swans (Cygnus olor) were introduced in the mid-20th century and have been kept in the plantations in Tórshavn and reportedly also in Vágur on Suðuroy. They too failed to settle on the islands. However, migrating whooper swans can be seen, and some have been captured and kept, for example, at Skógrøkt (the Faroese Forest Services) in Gundadalur where a pair had cygnets in 2004. Since then, whooper swans have been released in Eiði and Hvalba where they have started to breed.

Historically, amphibians were not found in the Faroe Islands, however, in 2000, common frogs (Rana temporaria) were imported to Nólsoy and kept in an open-air terrarium, from which they escaped and have since established themselves on the island. In 2019, it was rumoured that some Faroese would try to release frogs on, e.g., Streymoy.

The largest number of introduced species are the invertebrates. One of the species that should definitely be considered as invasive is the New Zealand flatworm (Arthurdendyus triangulatus), which appeared in 1982, probably imported with plants from Great Britain. It is now widespread and common. As it feeds on earthworms, it has reduced the populations of earthworm on the islands, which affects processing of the soil and can have a negative impact on agriculture.

In 1996, Náttúrugripasavnið (the Faroe Islands National History Museum) received the first reports on the Spanish slug (Arion lusitanicus) on the islands. The slug can now be found in most villages, where it is a garden pest. However, it does not seem to spread outside housing areas.

The arthropods have also been supplemented with a number of introduced species. Before 2000, there were no common wasps (Vespula vulgaris) or white-tailed bumblebees (Bombus lucorum), but they can now be found in several places on the islands. Species that live inside houses should also be added, including silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) and daddy longlegs (Pholcus phalangioides).

When the mountain hare lost its white winter coat

The wish for a new prey to hunt meant that an attempt was made to introduce hares (Lepus europaeus) from Denmark to the Faroe Islands in 1831‑32. However, the attempt failed since the hares were not able to settle. Instead, attempts were made with the mountain hare (Lepus timidus), and in August 1855 mountain hares from Kragerø in Norway were released at Tórshavn. The mountain hares thrived and the population grew to such an extent that they were also released on other large islands. As recently as 2012, mountain hares were released on Hestur.

In Norway, the mountain hare changes to a white winter coat when winter approaches, and so was the case for the majority of the mountain hares that ended up in the Faroe Islands. However, winter in the Faroe Islands is considerably milder than in Norway, and snowfall is usually modest. In the brown and green landscape, the white mountain hares therefore became easy prey, and the hunt quickly led to extensive selection among the hares. The mountain hares that retained their grey-brown coat in winter thus had a significantly greater chance of avoiding the hunters’ guns, and already in the 1870s the proceeds of the hunt consisted of almost equal numbers of white and brown mountain hares. By 1882, the proportion of white mountain hares had fallen to 25 %, and by 1890 they only accounted for 5‑6 %. The last white mountain hare was shot in the winter of 1916‑17, and today all Faroese mountain hares are brown.

The hunting of mountain hares is still popular and probably also necessary to keep the population down. The sale of hunting rights in November and December also contributes to agricultural operations on the islands.

Further reading

• Birds on the Faroe Islands
• Fresh Waters on the Faroe Islands
• Insects and arachnids on the Faroe Islands
• Plant life on land on the Faroe Islands
• The sea around the Faroe Islands
• Wildlife in the sea around the Faroe Islands

Read more about Nature and landscape on the Faroe Islands