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BREEDING
Returning to their breeding colonies in March and April, puffins
gather in dense groups offshore. Here the pairs rub bills and coo to each other before
mating and going ashore to lay the eggs.
Sometimes a pair must dig a burrow in which to place the single
egg, but they prefer to use an abandoned rabbit burrow if possible. Puffins tend to pair
for life, although they do not stay together year-round. Males often bring presents of
grass or feathers to their mate.
The egg is laid in a chamber at the end of a six-foot-long tunnel
and is incubated in turn by both parents. When the chick hatches, the parents also share
the task of catching its food.
Predatory gulls are the biggest threat to the safety of young
puffins. Once the puffin is ready to leave its parents, it must reach the sea without
being detected by gulls. It does this by leaving its burrow at night and making its way to
the water. It cannot fly at this stage, so it travels by swimming. The following year, the
young puffin will return to the colony. It does not breed until it is 4-5 years old.
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Looking like a relative of the
penguin, or a marine version of the parrot, the squat Atlantic pufftn is, in fact, related
to neither family: it is a species of auk.
HABITAT
Atlantic puffins live in the cold waters of the Arctic, often hundreds of
miles from land. They are most often seen singly or in pairs.
In spring, they come ashore and
gather in huge groups to breed. Although they prefer to dig their burrows in steep, grassy
slopes, they may tunnel under boulder debris at the foot of steep cliffs.
Above: A parent brings food back to its
single chick. Both parents share this task.
 
Beak: During the breeding season, the
puffin's beak is brightly colored (left). This color disappears during the winter,
when the bill becomes small and gray. |
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FOOD & HUNTING
During the summer, there is a constant stream of puffins flying
back and forth between their burrows on the cliffs and the fishing grounds. Breeding
success may depend on how far the puffins have to fly to find food for themselves and
their hungry chick.
The puffin's favorite food is the sand eel, which it catches by
diving down into the water with great speed. Its wings enable it to swim to great depths.
Above: Puffin's beak and mouth have
backward-pointing spikes which can hold several eels.
KEY FACTS
Wing length: 6-7 in.
Weight: Males, 12-17 oz. Females, 11-12
oz.
Sexual maturity: 4-5 years.
Breeding season: Return to breeding cliffs
March-April to mate and lay eggs.
Eggs: 1.
Incubation: 39 days.
Fledging: About 6 weeks.
Habit: Stay single or in pairs
during the winter months, but congregate in colonies during breeding season.
Diet: Sand eels in summer. Also whitebait or
larval fish of many species. |
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| Did You Know?
The puffin can swim and fly very fast, but because its legs are
placed so far back on its stubby body, it often crashes while landing in strong winds.
As it preens, the puffin takes oil from a gland near its tail and
applies it to its feathers to keep them waterproof.
Puffins are inquisitive and like to investigate one another's
burrows, which can lead to fights.
On the island of St. Kilda, puffins were once used in making
porridge.
The Atlantic puffin makes soft growling or purring noises.
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