Predominantly black and white in coloration, puffins are best known for their bright bills, which display oranges, reds, and yellows during the breeding season before returning to a duller beak at other times of year.
All three species of puffin inhabit Earth’s Arctic regions. The Atlantic puffin is also known as the common puffin, and lives in the UK, northern Europe, and east coast Canada, primarily on islands and coastline. The Pacific and horned species of puffin share a habitat in the Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands, and parts of Russia’s far east.
Atlantic and Pacific puffins live in underground burrows in large colonies, often lined with grasses, where they can usually be heard before they can be seen. Burrows can be up to three feet deep and ten feet long, and it’s been known for puffins to reuse empty rabbit warrens. Horned puffins prefer to nest in rocky crevices.
On mating, puffins form long-term monogamous pairings, and take turns incubating the single egg laid by the female to ensure it remains at the correct temperature. On hatching, the chick is known, rather endearingly, as a puffling. Having fledged, juvenile puffins spend several years at sea, before returning to land to mate.
Iceland has one of the largest total populations of puffin, estimated to top 10 million birds. Of these, anywhere between 1.1-4 million reside in the Westmann Isles. There are also significant populations in parts of Europe, including the Republic of Ireland and UK, with the Farne Islands in the northeast of England, and Skomer Island in Wales popular spots for puffin watching.
Considered small birds by most standards, puffins inhabit coastal regions because they feed on fish found in the open ocean, flying up to 30 feet above the waves before diving. Due to their stocky bodies, their wings have to beat up to 400 times per minute for them to remain airborne.
Recommended Artic Cruises
Other Arctic Wildlife
Arctic Fox / Arctic Hare / Arctic Wolf / Caribou / Musk Ox / Polar Bear / Bearded Seal / Beluga Whale / Narwhal / Ringed Seal / Walrus / Arctic Tern / Gyrfalcon / Snowy Owl
