Birds of the Faroe Islands

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Symbolically, the most important of the birds of the Faroe Islands is the Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus). Their annual arrival on about 12 March is celebrated by the Faroese people as the start of spring. For this reason, the Tjaldur (pronounced [tschaldur]), is recognised as the national bird of the Faroes. However, in numbers, the avifauna is dominated by an estimated two million pairs of breeding seabirds of several species. There are also some resident landbirds and many regular visitors, both passage migrants and breeders, as well as several species recorded occasionally as vagrants, mainly from Europe.

In the 19th century, the islands were occasionally visited by Black-browed Albatross; one bird regularly summering with Gannets for 34 years before it was shot for the Natural History Museum in Copenhagen. The Great Auk also visited the Faroes and may have bred there, but became extinct throughout its range in the North Atlantic in the early 19th Century due to human predation. The Pied Raven, a colour morph of the Common Raven, also occurred but disappeared by the middle of the 20th Century.

Historically, harvesting seabirds for food was an important source of nutrition for the islanders. A reduced and strictly regulated harvest, mainly of Fulmars and Puffins, continues. In general, the seabirds and their nesting areas are now strongly protected.

The Faroese postal system, the Postverk Føroya, prints stamps portraying Faroe birds. See external links.

Contents 1 List of birds 1.1 Anseriformes 1.1.1 Anatidae 1.2 Galliformes 1.2.1 Tetraonidae 1.2.2 Phasianidae 1.3 Gaviiformes 1.3.1 Gaviidae 1.4 Podicipediformes 1.4.1 Podicipedidae 1.5 Procellariiformes 1.5.1 Diomedeidae 1.5.2 Procellariidae 1.5.3 Hydrobatidae 1.6 Pelecaniformes 1.6.1 Sulidae 1.6.2 Phalacrocoracidae 1.7 Ciconiiformes 1.7.1 Ardeidae 1.7.2 Threskiornithidae 1.8 Accipitriformes 1.8.1 Pandionidae 1.8.2 Accipitridae 1.9 Falconiformes 1.9.1 Falconidae 1.10 Gruiformes 1.10.1 Rallidae 1.10.2 Gruidae 1.11 Charadriiformes 1.11.1 Haematopodidae 1.11.2 Recurvirostridae 1.11.3 Charadriidae 1.11.4 Scolopacidae 1.11.5 Stercorariidae 1.11.6 Laridae 1.11.7 Sternidae 1.11.8 Alcidae 1.12 Pterocliformes 1.12.1 Pteroclidae 1.13 Columbiformes 1.13.1 Columbidae 1.14 Cuculiformes 1.14.1 Cuculidae 1.15 Strigiformes 1.15.1 Strigidae 1.16 Caprimulgiformes 1.16.1 Caprimulgidae 1.17 Apodiformes 1.17.1 Apodidae 1.18 Coraciiformes 1.18.1 Coraciidae 1.18.2 Upupidae 1.19 Piciformes 1.19.1 Picidae 1.20 Passeriformes 1.20.1 Alaudidae 1.20.2 Hirundinidae 1.20.3 Motacillidae 1.20.4 Bombycillidae 1.20.5 Cinclidae 1.20.6 Troglodytidae 1.20.7 Prunellidae 1.20.8 Turdidae 1.20.9 Corvidae 1.20.10 Sylviidae 1.20.11 Regulidae 1.20.12 Muscicapidae 1.20.13 Laniidae 1.20.14 Emberizidae 1.20.15 Fringillidae 1.20.16 Ploceidae 1.20.17 Sturnidae 1.20.18 Oriolidae 2 References 3 External links

[edit] List of birds

[edit] Anseriformes

[edit] Anatidae

• Brent Goose - visitor
• Greylag Goose - breeding
• White-fronted Goose - visitor
• Pink-footed Goose - visitor
• Barnacle Goose - breeding
• Mute Swan - introduced
• Whooper Swan - visitor
• Common Shelduck - vagrant
• Mallard - breeding
• Common Teal - breeding
• Gadwall - vagrant
• Eurasian Wigeon - breeding
• Northern Pintail - breeding
• Garganey - vagrant
• Northern Shoveler - vagrant
• Pochard - vagrant
• Tufted Duck - breeding
• Common Eider – breeding
• King Eider - vagrant
• Common Scoter – breeding
• Velvet Scoter - vagrant
• Surf Scoter - vagrant
• Long-tailed Duck - visitor
• Common Goldeneye - vagrant
• Barrow’s Goldeneye - vagrant
• Red-breasted Merganser – breeding
• Common Merganser – vagrant

[edit] Galliformes

[edit] Tetraonidae

• Ptarmigan – introduced

[edit] Phasianidae

• Common Quail – former breeding visitor

[edit] Gaviiformes

[edit] Gaviidae

• Red-throated Diver – breeding
• Black-throated Diver – vagrant
• Great Northern Diver – visitor

[edit] Podicipediformes

[edit] Podicipedidae

• Little Grebe – vagrant
• Slavonian Grebe – breeding
• Red-necked Grebe – vagrant

[edit] Procellariiformes

[edit] Diomedeidae

• Black-browed Albatross - vagrant

[edit] Procellariidae

• Northern Fulmar - breeding
• Manx Shearwater – breeding
• Great Shearwater – visitor
• Mediterranean Shearwater - vagrant

[edit] Hydrobatidae

• European Storm-Petrel - breeding
• Leach's Storm-Petrel – breeding

[edit] Pelecaniformes

[edit] Sulidae

• Northern Gannet - breeding

[edit] Phalacrocoracidae

• Great Cormorant - breeding
• European Shag – breeding

[edit] Ciconiiformes

[edit] Ardeidae

• Great Bittern - vagrant
• American Bittern - vagrant
• Little Bittern - vagrant
• Black-crowned Night Heron - vagrant
• Grey Heron - visitor
• Purple Heron – vagrant

[edit] Threskiornithidae

• Common Spoonbill - vagrant
• Glossy Ibis – vagrant

[edit] Accipitriformes

[edit] Pandionidae

• Osprey – vagrant

[edit] Accipitridae

• Honey Buzzard – vagrant
• White-tailed Sea-Eagle – vagrant
• Eurasian Sparrowhawk - vagrant
• Rough-legged Buzzard - vagrant
• Hen Harrier - vagrant
• Western Marsh Harrier – vagrant

[edit] Falconiformes

[edit] Falconidae

• Gyrfalcon – visitor
• Peregrine Falcon - vagrant
• Merlin - breeding
• Common Kestrel – visitor

[edit] Gruiformes

[edit] Rallidae

• Water Rail - visitor
• Baillon's Crake – vagrant
• Spotted Crake – vagrant
• Corncrake – vagrant
• Common Moorhen - visitor
• Eurasian Coot – visitor

[edit] Gruidae

• Common Crane – vagrant

[edit] Charadriiformes

[edit] Haematopodidae

• Eurasian Oystercatcher - breeding

[edit] Recurvirostridae

• Pied Avocet - vagrant

[edit] Charadriidae

• Ringed Plover – visitor
• Killdeer - vagrant
• Eurasian Dotterel - vagrant
• Eurasian Golden Plover - breeding
• Grey Plover – vagrant
• Northern Lapwing - breeding

[edit] Scolopacidae

• Eurasian Woodcock - visitor
• Common Snipe – breeding
• Jack Snipe - visitor
• Ruddy Turnstone - visitor
• Little Stint - vagrant
• Purple Sandpiper - breeding
• Dunlin - breeding
• Red Knot - visitor
• Sanderling - visitor
• Ruff - visitor
• Common Sandpiper - vagrant
• Wood Sandpiper - vagrant
• Common Redshank - breeding
• Common Greenshank - vagrant
• Black-tailed Godwit - breeding
• Bar-tailed Godwit - visitor
• Eurasian Curlew - visitor
• Whimbrel – breeding
• Grey Phalarope - visitor
• Red-necked Phalarope – breeding

[edit] Stercorariidae

• Great Skua - breeding
• Pomarine Skua – visitor

[edit] Laridae

• Little Gull - vagrant
• Black-headed Gull - breeding
• Lesser Black-backed Gull - breeding
• Herring Gull - breeding
• Iceland Gull – visitor
• Glaucous Gull – visitor
• Great Black-backed Gull - breeding
• Common Gull - breeding
• Sabine's Gull - vagrant
• Kittiwake - breeding
• Ross's Gull - vagrant
• Ivory Gull – visitor

[edit] Sternidae

• Black Tern - vagrant
• White-winged Black Tern - vagrant
• Caspian Tern - vagrant
• Arctic Tern - breeding
• Little Tern - vagrant

[edit] Alcidae

• Little Auk - visitor
• Razorbill - breeding
• Great Auk - extinct
• Common Guillemot - breeding
• Brunnich's Guillemot - visitor
• Black Guillemot - breeding
• Atlantic Puffin – breeding

[edit] Pterocliformes

[edit] Pteroclidae

• Pallas’s Sandgrouse – vagrant

[edit] Columbiformes

[edit] Columbidae

• Rock Dove – breeding
• Wood Pigeon - visitor
• Turtle Dove – visitor

[edit] Cuculiformes

[edit] Cuculidae

• Common Cuckoo – vagrant

[edit] Strigiformes

[edit] Strigidae

• Snowy Owl – visitor
• Long-eared Owl – vagrant
• Short-eared Owl – visitor
• European Scops Owl – vagrant

[edit] Caprimulgiformes

[edit] Caprimulgidae

• Common Nighthawk – vagrant
• European Nightjar – vagrant

[edit] Apodiformes

[edit] Apodidae

• Common Swift – breeding

[edit] Coraciiformes

[edit] Coraciidae

• European Roller – vagrant

[edit] Upupidae

• Hoopoe – vagrant

[edit] Piciformes

[edit] Picidae

• Wryneck – visitor
• Great Spotted Woodpecker – visitor

[edit] Passeriformes

[edit] Alaudidae

• Skylark - breeding
• Woodlark - vagrant

[edit] Hirundinidae

• House Martin - breeding
• Sand Martin - vagrant
• Barn Swallow – breeding

[edit] Motacillidae

• White Wagtail - breeding
• Blue-headed Wagtail - visitor
• Yellow Wagtail - vagrant
• Grey Wagtail - vagrant
• Rock Pipit – breeding
• Meadow Pipit – breeding

[edit] Bombycillidae

• Waxwing – visitor

[edit] Cinclidae

• White-throated Dipper - vagrant

[edit] Troglodytidae

• Winter Wren – breeding

[edit] Prunellidae

• Dunnock – vagrant

[edit] Turdidae

• Whinchat – vagrant
• Stonechat – vagrant
• Northern Wheatear - breeding
• Black Redstart – vagrant
• Common Redstart – visitor
• European Robin – visitor
• Red-spotted Bluethroat – vagrant
• Dusky Thrush – vagrant
• Blackbird - breeding
• Song Thrush - visitor
• Redwing - breeding
• Fieldfare - visitor
• Ring Ouzel – vagrant
• Scaly Thrush – vagrant

[edit] Corvidae

• Jackdaw – visitor
• Rook - visitor
• Hooded Crow – breeding
• Common Raven - breeding

[edit] Sylviidae

• Sedge Warbler – vagrant
• Eurasian Reed-Warbler – vagrant
• Great Reed-Warbler – vagrant
• Barred Warbler – visitor
• Garden Warbler – visitor
• Blackcap – visitor
• Whitethroat – visitor
• Lesser Whitethroat – visitor
• Chiffchaff – visitor
• Wood Warbler – vagrant
• Arctic Warbler – vagrant
• Yellow-browed Warbler – vagrant

[edit] Regulidae

• Goldcrest – visitor
• Firecrest – vagrant

[edit] Muscicapidae

• Pied Flycatcher - visitor
• Red-breasted Flycatcher – vagrant
• Spotted Flycatcher – vagrant
• Brown Flycatcher – vagrant

[edit] Laniidae

• Red-backed Shrike - vagrant
• Great Grey Shrike – vagrant

[edit] Emberizidae

• Corn Bunting – vagrant
• Yellowhammer – visitor
• Red-headed Bunting – vagrant
• Ortolan – vagrant
• Reed Bunting – vagrant
• Lapland Bunting – vagrant
• Snow Bunting – visitor

[edit] Fringillidae

• Chaffinch - visitor
• Brambling - visitor
• Hawfinch – vagrant
• Greenfinch - visitor
• Siskin – vagrant
• Linnet – vagrant
• Twite – vagrant
• Common Redpoll - visitor
• Common Crossbill - visitor
• Two-barred Crossbill – vagrant
• Common Rosefinch – vagrant
• Bullfinch – vagrant

[edit] Ploceidae

• House Sparrow – breeding
• Tree Sparrow – breeding

[edit] Sturnidae

• Common Starling – breeding
• Rosy Starling - vagrant

[edit] Oriolidae

• Golden Oriole - vagrant

[edit] References

• Williamson, Kenneth. (1970). The Atlantic Islands. Collins: London. (2nd edition). ISBN 0-7100-6911-1

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Birds on Faroese stamps

• About the stamps and the birds
• PDF downlaod of Faroese birds (652.31 KB, 4 pages)