Home › Aves › Alcidae › Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)
SPECIES PROFILE
Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)
Fratercula
IUCN STATUS
Vulnerable
CONSERVATION STATUS
Vulnerable
CLASS
Aves
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
North Atlantic from Maine and Newfoundland east to Norway and the UK; Canadian colonies mostly in NL and NS
DIET
Carnivore
HABITAT
Nests in burrows on grassy clifftop islands; forages at sea diving to 60 m; overwinters far offshore in the North Atlantic
🔬 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; bill changes colour seasonally; wings used for underwater flying
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Nests in burrows on grassy clifftop islands; forages at sea diving to 60 m; overwinters far offshore in the North Atlantic
DIET
Carnivore
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
North Atlantic from Maine and Newfoundland east to Norway and the UK; Canadian colonies mostly in NL and NS
REPRODUCTION
Single egg in a burrow dug on a grassy slope; both parents incubate; the chick fledges alone at night
DIET DETAILS
Small schooling fish including capelin, sand lance, and herring carried crosswise in the bill to the burrow
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Prey fish shifts from climate change; introduced rats and predators at nesting islands; pollution and bycatch at sea
💡 Interesting Facts
1
Puffins can carry up to 10–12 small fish in their bills at one time, held crosswise by a unique backward-facing tooth structure on the upper mandible.
2
Witless Bay Ecological Reserve near St. John's, NL, protects the largest Atlantic Puffin colony in the western North Atlantic with over 300,000 breeding pairs.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Witless Bay Ecological Reserve near Bay Bulls, NL, is the premier Atlantic Puffin viewing site in North America
Bird Islands near Englishtown, NS, has a large puffin colony accessible by boat tour
Machias Seal Island on the NB/Maine border has one of the most accessible puffin colonies on the Atlantic coast
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
Summer breeding. Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, Newfoundland, hosts the world's largest Atlantic Puffin colony from June to August.
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
June to August: boat tours from Bay Bulls, NL, access the Witless Bay islands; highest activity at dusk when birds return with fish.
