Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

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Color Photographs: © Corel Corp.

Color Photograph: U.S. Geological Survey

Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 12 inches.

Summer Plumage: Back, neck and wings black. Side of the head pure white with an almost triangular eye. Bill large, flattened, with a gray base and apical rings of red and yellow. Undersides white. Feet webbed, orange.

Winter Plumage: Similar to the summer plumage, but side of the head infused with dull brown.

Similar Species:  The Atlantic Puffin is a famous and unmistakable species. Two related puffins, the Horned Puffin and the Tufted Puffin, are found on the western coast of North America and their ranges do not overlap that of the Atlantic Puffin.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Atlantic Puffin breeds on rocky cliffs of Maritime Canada. The species also occurs in northern Europe.

Overwintering Range:  This species spends its non-breeding periods in the open ocean of the Atlantic Coast from the far north southward to New York.

Habitat: The Atlantic Puffin breeds on rocky cliffs and ledges. Otherwise the species is largely pelagic and lives on the ocean.

Food: Fish, squid, crustaceans.

Behavior: The behavior of this species on land appears clumsy, almost comical, jumping from rock to rock, and waddling around on flat areas. However the bird is an excellent swimmer and diver. The voice is a deep croak.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of a single white egg. The egg is laid in a burrow in soft soil or may be laid in a rocky crevice. Both nesting sites are lined with grass. The species nests in small colonies.