![]() The young puffin uses a toilet area towards the front of the burrow away from the nest to stay clean. The chick stays in the burrow until it is able to fly. In general, they can hold around 10 fish in their beak at once. This allows puffins to keep their mouth open to catch more fish without losing any in the process. They push the fish to the back of their mouth with their tongue, where ridges at the top of their bill secure the fish in place. Atlantic puffins have the ability to carry several fish in their beaks at one time. Once the chick hatches, the mother and father will take turns bringing it fish to eat several times a day. After the female lays a single egg, both parents take turn incubating the egg for about 40 days. At the back of the burrow, they build a nest lined with grasses, seaweed, and feathers. Often, couples will return to the same burrow year after year. Puffins create burrows, about 90 cm (3 ft.), in rocky cliffs either in the soil or between rocks. This often draws an excited crowd of other puffins to watch. Some pairs exhibit a special behavior known as “billing” where the two birds rub their beaks together. Once on land, the pairs of puffins reunite within the colony. It is thought that the birds’ colorful bills and feet, which fade in the winter and brighten in the spring, help puffins assess potential mates. When a puffin is around 3-5 years old, it will choose a partner at sea to mate with for life. Flapping their wings at up to 400 beats per minute, puffins can reach speeds of 88 km/h (55mph).Īpril to mid-August is breeding season for puffins. They supplement their meals by drinking saltwater.Ītlantic puffins are also excellent fliers. There, they hunt herring, hake, capelin, and sand eels. Diving as deep as 60 m (200 ft.), they swim by flapping their wings as if flying through the water and use their feet to steer. ![]() Waterproof feathers allow them stay warm as they float at the ocean’s surface or swim underwater. ![]() Puffins are specially adapted to living on the open sea. 60% of the world’s puffins live near Iceland. They are in fact small seabirds (about 25 cm, or 10 in., long) that belong to the Alcidae (auk) family.įor most of the year, Atlantic puffins live on the open ocean, with a range spanning from the eastern coast of Canada and the northern United States to the western coast of Europe and northern Russia. However, Atlantic puffins are actually not related to penguins at all. Crisp black and white markings on their plumage, as well as superior diving capabilities, have led people to compare the northern seabirds to penguins. Dubbed “sea parrots” as well as “clowns of the sea,” Atlantic puffins sport large, brightly-colored beaks on their substantially-sized heads. ![]()
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