Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.2004, Side 251

EIN SØGULIG LÝSING AV BÚSETINGINI HJÁ GRÁSPURVANUM í FØROYUM
OG STØÐU HANSARA í DAG
249
rapidly and has already disappeared from
several islands”. These statements are not
contradicted by opinions held by a number
of local people that we have spoken to. Is it
possible that this apparent decline was most
noticeable in the larger settlements, e.g. in
Tórshavn. The current breeding density in
Tórshavn is the highest in the Faroes but
low compared to densities in most Euro-
pean cities (Cramp, 1994). For the smaller
settlements the picture is variable: there are
cases where the house sparrow has gone
extinct or been eradicated as pests (e.g. Fu-
gloy and Stóra Dímun), decreased (Húsar),
increased (Nólsoy) and remained relatively
stable (e.g. on Skúvoy and Svínoy). The
reasons for the assumed but insufficiently
documented general decline are not known
but in the mid-1990s, not based on any ac-
tual counts but educated guesswork, the to-
tal population size was estimated at 3,000
pairs (Bloch et al., 1996). This is remark-
ably similar to the census data from the
present study with an estimated number of
c. 2,500 pairs in 2001 and small increase
to c. 2,700 pairs in 2002. This suggest that
the total population is currently at least not
declining.
Conclusions
Man has played a significant role in the suc-
cess of the house sparrow in the Faroes. The
house sparrow only breeds in close asso-
ciation with man, who provides nest-sites,
food and shelter. The colonization started
on Suðuroy in 1935-36 with a few birds
probably arriving onboard a ship and the
house sparrow then spread, probably from
two or more centra of separate immigra-
tions (see also Jensen and Kampp, 1997),
and has until now bred in about 80% of the
inhabited areas (settlements). The spatio-
temporal pattern of spread is complex and
influenced by human activities and local
conditions (e.g. water-barriers, topography,
local population dynamics etc). It took the
house sparrow more than 30 years to colo-
nize 50% of the settlements known to have
been more or less permanently colonized
(including practically all the larger ones).
The total population (and certainly some
of the local populations) have probably
lluctuated a great deal in numbers, though
quantitative data is lacking. Presently the
breeding population seems relatively sta-
ble with an estimated total of c. 2,500 and
2,700 pairs in 2001 and 2002, respectively.
Tórshavn has by far the largest concentra-
tion of house sparrows with about one-third
(c. 900 pairs) of the total Faroese popula-
tion.
Acknowledgements
The field-work was supported by the Faculty of Science
andTechnology (Náttúruvísindadeildin) at the University
of the Faroe Islands. We also received valuable logistic
support from the Museum of Natural History in
Tórshavn through its director, professor Dorete Btoch
who also made data from 1981 available to us. We also
gratefully acknowledge the assistance given to us by a
number of local people (some mentioned in the text)
and media in obtaining information. We are particularly
grateful to Mr. Jens-Kjeld Jensen for his valuable help
during the project and the families, spouses, and friends
of the second and third authors for their support during
field-work.