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SPECIES PROFILE
Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)
Fratercula
IUCN STATUS
Vulnerable
CONSERVATION STATUS
Vulnerable
CLASS
Aves
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
North Atlantic; US breeding colonies restricted to a handful of islands off the Maine coast after Project Puffin restoration
DIET
Carnivore
HABITAT
Nests in burrows on grassy clifftop islands off the Maine coast; forages at sea diving to 60 m; overwinters far offshore
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Aves
ORDER
Charadriiformes
FAMILY
Alcidae
GENUS
Fratercula
📋 Description
SIZE
28–30 cm; 300–550 g
COLORATION
Black above and white below; multicoloured bill (orange, yellow, and blue-grey) in summer; orange feet and a red eye ring
ADAPTATIONS
Carries multiple fish crosswise in its bill simultaneously; wings used for underwater flying; bill changes colour seasonally
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Nests in burrows on grassy clifftop islands off the Maine coast; forages at sea diving to 60 m; overwinters far offshore
DIET
Carnivore
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
North Atlantic; US breeding colonies restricted to a handful of islands off the Maine coast after Project Puffin restoration
REPRODUCTION
Single egg in a burrow on a grassy island; both parents incubate; puffling fledges alone at night
DIET DETAILS
Small schooling fish including herring, sand lance, and hake carried crosswise in the bill to the burrow
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Prey fish declines from climate change; Herring Gull and Great Black-backed Gull predation; introduced rats at nesting islands
💡 Interesting Facts
1
Atlantic Puffins were extirpated from the Maine coast by the 1880s; Project Puffin, led by the National Audubon Society from 1973, has successfully restored six nesting colonies.
2
Puffins can carry up to 10–12 small fish in their bills simultaneously, held by a unique backward-facing tooth structure; the record is 62 fish in one delivery.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge off Rockland, ME, has one of the largest US Atlantic Puffin colonies
Matinicus Rock Lighthouse off Rockland, ME, has Atlantic Puffins nesting in restored burrows
Eastern Egg Rock Island near Bremen, ME, is the first restored US puffin colony and still active
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
Late May to August: boat tours from Rockland, ME, reach Seal Island and Matinicus Rock; evening return flights of fish-carrying adults are spectacular.
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
Summer breeding. Seal Island and Matinicus Rock off the Maine coast have the best US Atlantic Puffin colonies from late May to August.
