Atlantic Puffin

Fratercula arctica

Written by Chris Coyle

The Atlantic Puffins, members of the auk family, are seabirds also known as Common Puffins. They are found at the frigid coastal waters and islands of the North Atlantic. They breed from northern Quebec south to the Bay of Fundy and Maine. In winter they may be found as far south as Massachusetts and beyond.

Papageitaucher Fratercula arctica 02 Richard Bartz, CC BY-SA 3.0

HABITAT:

Atlantic Puffins spend all of the year at sea except during breeding season. They nest on rocky islands and on sea cliffs in large colonies.

NESTING:

Puffins have the same mate each year. A large single white egg is laid and is incubated by both parents. The nest is built in a burrow a or a rocky crevice. The parents share incubating duties. After the young are fully feathered, they make their way from the nest down to the water and follow their parents out to sea.

BEHAVIOR:

Puffins are social birds and breed in large colonies. When at sea, they bob up and down like corks, propelling themselves around with their feet. They swim under water when fishing and use their wings as paddles to move through the water while using their feet as a rudder. They swim fast and can stay under water up to a minute.

FOOD:

Almost entirely fish but occasionally eat shellfish and polychaete worms.

PREDATORS:

Seals and large fish can kill puffins. The birds like to nest on small rocky islands devoid of predators such as foxes, rats and weasels.