Quick Facts
- Type
- Bird
- Size
- 28–34 cm (body length)
- Weight
- 0.3–0.5 kg
- Habitat
- North Atlantic seas and coastal cliffs
- Diet
- Small fish such as sand eels and herring
- Active Time
- Active by day (diurnal)
- Lifespan
- 20–30 years
Field Notes
- A puffin can hold a dozen or more small fish crosswise in its bill at once.
- Its bright bill colors fade after breeding season, then return the next spring.
- Puffins 'fly' underwater, flapping their wings to chase fish.
About the Atlantic Puffin
The Atlantic puffin is a small seabird of the North Atlantic, nicknamed the 'sea parrot' for its colorful triangular bill, which brightens during the breeding season. It spends most of the year far out at sea, coming ashore to nest in burrows on coastal cliffs and islands. An expert diver, it uses its wings to 'fly' underwater after fish and can hold many small fish crosswise in its bill at once. Puffins form large, noisy breeding colonies and often return to the same burrow each year.
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