Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD. The Atlantic Alcidae: The Evolution, Distribution and Biology of the Auks Inhabiting the Atlantic Ocean and Adjacent Water Areas. This important law prevents the transportation, sale or taking of migratory birds, nests, and eggs. The 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects puffins, as well as most bird species within the United States. The puffin population on Matincus Rock is around 150 pairs now. By 1901, only one pair remained south of the Canadian border by Maine's Matincus Rock.īecause of protection by the National Audubon Society and the United States government, puffins have made a comeback. Later, puffins were taken for reasons beyond sustenance, as their feathers were used for pillow stuffing and hat decorations. As European colonists first arrived in the New England area, puffins were hunted for their meat. Humans also hunt puffins, sometimes with devastating results. Natural predators include gulls, sharks, and killer whales. Puffins nest along the coastlines of Russia, Norway, Iceland, the British Isles, Western France, and Maine east to Greenland. Both parents incubate the egg and feed the chick. During the breeding season, their bills become vivid and colorful. Puffins are colonial nesters that lay one egg each year. In the air, puffins are powerful flyers, beating their wings 300 to 400 times a minute to achieve speeds up to 64 kph (40 mph). One puffin was seen with more than 60 fish in its bill at one time. Their specialized bills are laced with sharp hooks that help hold fish. Puffins may dive deeper than 24 m (80 ft) to catch fish. The oil, once spread over their feathers, helps repel water.īesides penguins, alcids are the only birds that swim with their wings, rather than their feet. They also produce oil from a gland by their tail. Other popular places for Atlantic puffins include Norway, Denmark, Sweden, UK, Greenland, Canada and North America. Almost 60 of the world’s puffins make their breeding homes in Iceland, while the UK is home to approximately 10 of the planet’s puffin population. A layer of fat acts as insulation while their feathers trap air for extra warmth. Puffin colonies can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific and the Arctic Circle. Puffins possess adaptations that allow them to thrive in the harsh, cold ocean waters of the Northern hemisphere. Humans hunted the largest member of this family, the great auk, into extinction by 1834. These birds, along with auks, guillemonts, and murres of alcids exist today.
There are three species of living puffins: common, horned and tufted. Puffins are small seabirds that belong in the scientific family Alcidae. Status IUCN: Common puffin: Vulnerable Horned puffin: Least Concern Tufted puffin: Least Concern Tufted puffin: the global population is estimated to number greater than 3,500,000 individuals. Horned puffin: the global population is estimated to number greater than 1,200,000 individuals. Population Common puffin: the European population is estimated to be 9,550,000 to 11,600,000 mature individuals. Sexual Maturity Approximately 3 to 5 years Life Span May vary by species Range Puffins nest along the coastlines of Russia, Norway, Iceland, the British Isles, Western France, and Maine east to Greenland Habitat Typically pelagic and found in the cold, ocean waters of the Northern Hemisphere. Nests on islands where nesting sites provided by soil for burrows or crevices among rocks.Clutch Size: Puffins are colonial nesters that lay 1 egg each year. Outside of breeding season usually well offshore, even far out in mid-ocean. Favors cool or cold waters off North America. Colonial breeds in burrows and among rocks of sea islands. However, at the southernmost colonies, puffins have poor breeding success in warm-water years, which are becoming more frequent as the climate heats up.Ĭoastal and offshore waters, open sea. An ambitious Audubon project to re-introduce puffins on former nesting islands off Maine, started in the 1970s, has been a major success. Vulnerable to introduction of predators (such as rats) to nesting islands. During 20th century, continued to decrease at southern end of breeding range in both North America and Europe. Major declines during 19th century were owing to overharvesting of eggs and adults. Gregarious at its nesting sites, the Atlantic Puffin is often solitary in winter, far from land on the open ocean. At its colonies, the bird may fly back to its nest carrying a dozen small fish lined up in its bill, making us wonder how the puffin holds onto ten slippery fish while grabbing two more. The tufted puffin is slightly larger than the other species, weighing 18.3 to 35.3 ounces and measuring 14.2 to 15.8. Nesting around the edges of the North Atlantic, this puffin is sought after by birdwatchers who visit Maine or eastern Canada in summer. Puffins are small seabirds that vary slightly in size depending on the species.
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