Atlantic Puffins

Atlantic Puffins

Atlantic puffins, also known as the common puffin, provide an attractive spectacle for bird watchers, tourists and nature enthusiasts. The adorable creatures are known for their colouration and fascinating lifestyles. They have a brightly coloured bill that seems too perfectly painted to be real!

The common puffin belongs to the auk family and is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean. Its crown and back are black while the underneath is white. The puffin beak changes colour during the year. The bird length ranges from 28cm to 30 cm (from the tip of its beak to its blunt-ended tail) and weighs 500 grams. The males are slightly larger than the females, but they are coloured alike.

Atlantic puffins are sea birds and spend most of their lives at sea. They return to the land to breed, lay eggs, incubate them, and raise their chicks until they fledge. In the sea, they lead a solitary life but become very social in the land. Thousands of puffins gather in colonies on the coasts and islands of the North Atlantic Ocean. They breed in Iceland, Norway, Greenland, Newfoundland, the Faroe Islands, and other areas.

Iceland is the breeding home of about 60 % of the World Atlantic puffins: over six million birds. The largest colony in the world is in the Westman Islands, off the South Coast of Iceland. The birds breed in burrows on rocky islands and cliffs. The best time to see Atlantic puffin is during their breeding season: from late April through August. Here are 9 Incredible Facts about Atlantic Puffins:

Their Beaks Colour Change Seasonally 

Their change in appearance is so dramatic that it was once believed they were two different species! Atlantic puffins are easily recognizable during their breeding season when their huge beaks bloom with a bright orange colour. This transformation happens during spring. The colourful beaks have led some to dab them as the “Sea Parrots” or the “Clowns of the Sea.”

During winter, when the breeding season is over, Atlantic puffins shed out the outer layer of the bill which leaves them with a dull grey colour. At the same time, the feathers on the head and the neck are shed off, and the face becomes darker. Towards the end of winter, the bird becomes temporarily flightless as new feathers on its tail and wings replace the old feathers.

They are Excellent Swimmers 

Common puffins glide through the water using its semi extended wings as paddles. They use their webbed feet to steer just as a boat uses a rudder! The sea birds swim fast and can dive 60 m (200 feet) deep and stay submerged for up to a minute. Their water-proof feathers allow them to remain warm as they float at the ocean surface or swim underwater. Atlantic puffins are also fab fliers. They flap their wings 400  times per minute and can reach speeds of 88 km per hour. They maintain a cruising altitude of around 9 m (30 feet).

They are Skilled Hunters

Common puffins have specialized tongues and upper palates that help them to catch and hold fish. They have a rare ability to carry up to 10 small fish in their beaks at a time. Their tongues end is a course section that can hold on to a fish and simultaneously push it against a spiky patch in its mouth. The prey stays on this part as the puffin continues hunting. This unique skill has played a role in their survival since they feed their young ones well and often.

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Atlantic Puffins are Monogamous

These beautiful seabirds seem to have conservative family values! They usually pair up with the same partner every year and can stay together for 20 years. The female lays a single egg every summer season. The male and the female take turns in incubating the egg. Once it hatches, they raise the puffling together over the summer season. They return every year to the same burrow with the same mate. The chicks stay in the burrows until they can fly, which takes 36-45 days. After 45 days, they leave and spend 4 to 5 years in the sea until they reach sexual maturity.

They Have a Long Lifespan

Atlantic puffins can live up to 20 years or more. They spend most of their lifespan in the sea.  Their main predator is the great black-backed gull, which can snatch a puffin mid-flight or swoop it on the ground. Herrin gulls and Arctic skuas harass puffins while they are carrying beakful of fish, causing them to drop their catch. They also pull puffins chicks or eggs from their nests.

Other threats are over-fishing, which can lead to a shortage of foods for puffins and pollution, especially oil spills. The oil destroys their water-proof feathers that are essential for their survival and also make the birds sick.

Common Puffins are Carnivorous

The sea parrots feed on small fish (around 5 to 15 cm or 2 to 6 inches long) and zooplanktons. They prey primarily on herrings, sand eel, and capelins. Other foods include sprat, sand lance, hake, shrimps, mollusks, and crustaceans. They have an efficient digestive system that can digest food fast. Puffins also have special salt glands that allow them to drink seawater. These are located above their eyes and help to remove the salt from the water in their bloodstream.

Atlantic Puffins Dig Holes Instead of Building Nests

The sea parrots make extravagant homes for their chicks. They dig their burrows using their beaks and feet; the bills cut into the soil while the feet shove away the loose material. They prefer to make their burrows in the ground, between rocks, and on steep sea cliffs where predators cannot reach them. Usually, the burrow is about 3 feet long, with the male doing more excavation than the female. The females lay their eggs at the very end of the tunnel. The burrow has a toilet area at the first bend, which the young chick uses as a bathroom to avoid soiling its feathers. Pairs tend to reuse the burrow year after year.

They Live Alone While at the Sea

Atlantic puffins are solitary and silent in winter. They spend about seven months in the sea, before returning once again to their huge colonies where they court, mate, and raise young ones.  Their solitary lives have been slightly studied, since finding even one bird in the vast sea is dreadful as they fly, feed, and float. Most of the scientists’ knowledge of this species is a result of studying nesting birds.

The Sea Parrots Use Body Language to Communicate

The birds use body movements to communicate in various situations. If a puffin walks fast with its head lowered it is saying, “I am just passing through and don’t mean to cause trouble.” This is called a low profile walk and is necessary since colonies are crowded and puffins cross each other’s territories. A puffin guarding a burrow stands stiffly erect with its beak next to its body and uses slow exaggerated movements. This posture makes it look like a soldier on guard duty.