Atlantic Puffin

About Atlantic Puffin

• It is a species of small seabird in the auk family.
• It’s the only puffin species found in the Atlantic Ocean.
• Scientific Name: Fratercula arctica
• Habitat: It is found on rocky coasts in the Northern Atlantic Ocean during the breeding season and on the open ocean in the non-breeding season.
• Geographical Range:
• It is a migratory species, spending most of the time traveling back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean, returning every breeding season to its native breeding areas.
• Sixty percent of the individuals inhabit the coast of Iceland during the breeding season.
• It has also been found off the coast of Greenland, the United Kingdom, Eastern Canada, and the Netherlands, as well as Ireland.
• Features:
• It is a short and stocky diving seabird about 12 inches in length with a wingspan of 20-24 inches.
• It is black on its upper sides and white on its chest and belly.
• Males and females look alike.
• It has bright orange webbed feet; a white face and cheeks; and a large, triangular parrot-like bill that is bright red and yellow.
• They fly through the air like most birds, but they also “fly” through the water, using their wings as paddles.
• They are also speedy in the air. They flap their wings up to 400 times a minute, speeding along in the air at 55 miles an hour.
• Diet: Puffins eat small fish—such as sand eels and herring—which they hunt underwater.

Q1: What is a Seabird?

A seabird can be defined as a bird that makes its living primarily from the ocean, beyond the intertidal or surf zone. Seabirds are beautifully adapted for life in the ocean. Generally, they have dense, waterproof feathers; layers of fat; and a desalinization system to remove excess salt

Source: Arctic puffins evolved into a new species 6 generations ago, but they might be less fit to survive, a new study shows