Atlantic Puffin
Fratercula arctica
VulnerableFast Facts
About
The Atlantic puffin is one of the most charismatic seabirds of the North Atlantic, instantly endearing with its upright stance, colourful triangular bill and clown-like facial markings. It spends most of the year far out at sea, coming ashore only to breed in dense colonies on remote cliffs and islands.
The vivid orange-and-blue bill is brightest in the breeding season and fades to a duller shade in winter, when the bird lives a solitary life on the open ocean.
Behaviour
Puffins are superb swimmers, using their wings to 'fly' underwater as they pursue small fish. A single bird can hold a remarkable number of fish crosswise in its bill thanks to backward-pointing spines on its tongue and palate.
Pairs nest in burrows dug into cliff-top turf, returning year after year to the same site to raise a single chick.
Did you know?
- A puffin can carry a dozen or more small fish crosswise in its bill at once
- They 'fly' underwater using their wings to chase fish
- The brilliant colours of the bill fade to a dull grey outside the breeding season
- Pairs often reunite at the same burrow year after year
Distribution
North Atlantic coasts and islands, from the north-eastern United States to Europe
