Fratercula arctica
The Atlantic Puffin (*Fratercula arctica*) is an iconic and charismatic seabird, instantly recognizable by its brilliantly colored, triangular bill and striking black-and-white plumage. Averaging 28-34 cm (11-13 in) in length with a wingspan of 50-60 cm (20-24 in) and weighing around 320-480 g (11-17 oz), its stout body, dark back, white underparts, and pale face with distinct dark eye-patches make it unmistakable. Often dubbed "sea parrot" or "clown of the sea," its vibrant bill plates, whic...
Atlantic Puffins primarily inhabit cold temperate and Arctic waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. During the breeding season, they establish colonies on offshore islands, steep coastal cliffs, and grassy slopes, utilizing excavated burrows or natural crevices.
Their diet primarily consists of small schooling fish such as sand eels (lanze), herring, sprats, and capelin, caught by pursuit diving underwater using their wings. They may also consume some marine invertebrates, particularly during the non-breeding season.
Atlantic Puffins are diurnal, spending their days at sea foraging or attending to their bustling breeding colonies. At sea, they are skilled pursuit divers, using their short, powerful wings to "fly" underwater in pursuit of small fish, steering with their webbed feet. On land, they exhibit a rat...
The Atlantic Puffin has an extensive breeding range across the cold temperate and Arctic regions of the North Atlantic Ocean. Major breeding strongholds include Iceland (hosting the world's largest population), Norway, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, the British Isles, and coastal France. In North ...
Vulnerable
- The Atlantic Puffin's colorful bill, often likened to a parrot's, actually sheds its outer plates after the breeding season, becoming duller and smaller for the winter. - An Atlantic Puffin can hold an impressive number of small fish in its bill – sometimes over a dozen – thanks to specialized ...