Puffin

Puffins at a glance

Need to know

• Puffins can fly at speeds up to 88 km/h by flapping their wings up to 400 times per minute.
• Their bills change color, becoming more brightly colored during the breeding season.
• Puffins hold many small fish crosswise in their bills thanks to specialized spines.
• Both parents share in incubating the egg and feeding the chick.
• Atlantic puffins are the only species found in the North Atlantic; the other two are strictly North Pacific.

About the Puffins

Puffins are charismatic seabirds from the genus Fratercula, famous for their brightly colored bills and distinctive upright posture. Each species is highly adapted to cold, northern marine environments, spending most of the year at sea and only coming to land to breed on steep, vegetated coastal cliffs and islands. Puffins are expert swimmers, using their wings to 'fly' underwater and hunt fish, which they grasp crosswise in remarkable numbers thanks to unique bill structures.

The Atlantic, Horned, and Tufted puffins showcase variations in facial features, bill coloration, and plumage, making them a favorite subject of birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts. Puffins are facing increasing threats from climate change, overfishing, and habitat disturbance, causing population declines in some regions, particularly for the Atlantic puffin.

Physical characteristics

Size: 28–38 cm in length, wingspan 47–63 cm. Weight: 0.5–0.8 kg. Lifespan: 15–25 years on average in the wild.

• Large, laterally compressed triangular bill
• Short tail and compact, stocky body
• Short, strong orange legs and webbed feet
• Upright walking posture
• Colorful seasonal bill and head features

Notable species

• Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) — Vulnerable. Rocky cliffs and offshore islands along North Atlantic coastlines Regions: North Atlantic Ocean, Barents Sea, Norwegian Sea, waters off Iceland, waters off eastern Canada, waters off western Ireland, Faroe Islands, English Channel.
• Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata) — Least Concern. Cliff faces and rocky coastal islands in the North Pacific Regions: North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, Aleutian Islands, Gulf of Alaska, waters off Kamchatka Peninsula, coastal Alaska.
• Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) — Least Concern. Cliffs and grassy slopes of northern Pacific coastal islands Regions: North Pacific Ocean, Sea of Okhotsk, Bering Sea, coastal Alaska, Sea of Japan, Kuril Islands, coast of British Columbia.

Habitat and range

Original range: Northern hemisphere coasts of the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans.

Current distribution: Puffins currently breed on oceanic islands and cliff coasts throughout the temperate and subarctic North Atlantic and North Pacific basins.

Preferred environments: steep sea cliffs, rocky offshore islands, grassy cliff tops, boulder fields

Regions: North Atlantic Ocean, Barents Sea, Norwegian Sea, English Channel, Bering Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, Gulf of Alaska, waters off Iceland, Aleutian Islands, coastal Alaska, coast of British Columbia, Faroe Islands

Where to see Puffins

• Iceland (Vestmannaeyjar islands) — late May to early August. World's largest Atlantic puffin breeding colony; best seen during breeding season.
• Skomer Island, Wales — April to July. Easy to view puffins on land in breeding burrows near accessible paths.
• Farne Islands, England — May to July. Boats bring visitors close to dense Atlantic puffin colonies.
• Alaska (Pribilof and Aleutian Islands) — June to August. Both tufted and horned puffins nest on remote, scenic islands.

Behavior and diet

Diet: Puffins are carnivorous, primarily feeding on small fish (such as herring, capelin, sand lance), but also squid and marine invertebrates.

Social structure: They nest and breed in large colonies but are largely solitary or loosely social at sea.

Communication: Puffins use growls, grunts, and various body postures for communication, especially in burrows and during courtship.

• Specialized bill allows holding multiple fish crosswise at once.
• Paddle wings underwater to 'fly' while pursuing prey.
• Nest in deep burrows or rocky crevices on cliffs.
• Use elaborate bill-knocking displays in courtship.

Interactions with other animals

• Lesser Black-backed Gull (competitive): Gulls steal food from puffins and sometimes prey on their eggs or chicks.
• Atlantic Herring (prey): Small fish such as herring are a primary puffin food source.
• Arctic Fox (predator): Foxes may prey on nesting puffins and their chicks if colonies are accessible from land.

Conservation

IUCN Red List status: Vulnerable (Atlantic Puffin), Least Concern (Horned and Tufted Puffin)

Threats

• climate change affecting prey availability
• overfishing of key forage fish
• oil spills and marine pollution
• bycatch in fishing nets
• predation by introduced mammals

Conservation efforts

• protected breeding sites and sanctuaries
• artificial burrow installation
• marine protected areas in key feeding grounds
• monitoring and regulating fisheries near colonies

How to help

• Support organizations protecting puffin colonies.
• Reduce plastic and chemical marine pollution.
• Eat sustainable seafood to lessen impact on fish stocks.
• Participate in citizen science and wildlife monitoring near puffin sites.

Puffins facts for kids

Puffins are bright-billed seabirds that spend most of their lives at sea, only coming to rocky islands to raise their babies. They look a bit like penguins, but can fly very fast! Puffins are great swimmers and expert fish catchers.

• A group of puffins is called a 'circus.'
• Puffins carry lots of fish in their beaks to feed their chicks.
• Baby puffins are called 'pufflings.'
• Puffins dig burrows in the ground to make their nest.

Did you know? Did you know a puffin can flap its wings up to 400 times every minute to help it fly fast over the waves?

Watch & learn

• Puffins: The Colourful Clowns of the Sea — BBC Earth. This video features the amusing behaviors, stunning visuals, and survival strategies of Atlantic puffins during their busy breeding season, perfectly captured by BBC Earth's iconic cinematography.
• Puffin Patrol: Saving Seabirds on Remote Islands — Smithsonian Channel. Discover the efforts to protect puffin chicks as conservationists patrol remote islands, documenting the life cycles and challenges of Fratercula species with high-quality wildlife footage.
• The Secret World of Puffins — PBS Nature. Explore the surprisingly complex lives of puffins, from their underwater hunting skills to their social behaviors at the nesting colonies, shown with the depth and intimacy characteristic of PBS Nature.
• How Puffins Raise Their Chicks — National Geographic Wild. This National Geographic Wild segment provides vivid close-ups of parent puffins caring for their chicks, illustrating their unique adaptation to life at sea and on cliffs.
• Puffins: Coastal Survivors — BBC Earth. Follow puffins navigating the tough Atlantic coastline, braving predators and harsh weather while raising their young, featuring breathtaking footage by BBC Earth.