A puffin is a small seabird of the auk family, famous for its big, colourful beak. There are three species. The Atlantic puffin is about 30 cm long, spends most of the year at sea and nests in burrows on cliffs and islands. It “flies” underwater to catch small fish and can carry up to 10 at once. It is listed as Vulnerable.
puffins quick facts
- There are three species of puffin: Atlantic, horned and tufted.
- An Atlantic puffin is about 30 cm (12 inches) long.
- Puffins can carry up to 10 small fish crosswise in their beak.
- Puffins dig nest burrows up to 2 m deep.
- About half of all Atlantic puffins breed in Iceland.
What is a puffin?
A puffin is a small seabird with a big, brightly coloured beak. Britannica says puffins belong to the auk family, a group of diving seabirds that also includes guillemots and razorbills.
Puffins spend most of their lives far out at sea. They only come to land in spring and summer, to lay eggs and raise their chicks.
With their colourful beaks, orange feet and sad-looking eye markings, puffins are nicknamed the clowns of the sea. The RSPB calls the puffin one of the world’s favourite birds.
| Atlantic puffin at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Length | about 30 cm (12 inches) |
| Food | small fish such as sandeels, sprats, capelin and herring |
| Nest | a burrow in the ground, or a gap under rocks |
| Eggs | one a year |
| Diving depth | up to about 60 m (200 feet) |
| World population | about 12 million breeding birds |
| Status | Vulnerable |
Kinds of puffin
Britannica says there are three species of puffin.
Atlantic puffin: also called the common puffin. It lives on Atlantic coasts from the Arctic south to Brittany in France and Maine in the United States. This is the puffin most people picture.
Horned puffin: a close Pacific relative of the Atlantic puffin. It gets its name from a small, dark, horn-like point above each eye.
Tufted puffin: it lives further south in the Pacific. Britannica says it is black with a red bill and legs, a white face and long, straw-coloured plumes curving back from behind its eyes.
The rest of this guide is mostly about the Atlantic puffin, the best-known of the three.
What does a puffin look like?
Britannica says the Atlantic puffin is about 30 cm (12 inches) long. That is about the size of a pigeon, but with a much chunkier body.
The RSPB describes a puffin as having a black back and white underparts, a black cap and large pale cheeks. It has bright orange legs and red and black markings around its eyes.
Its black and white colouring is useful at sea. From above, its dark back blends with the dark water. From below, its white belly blends with the bright sky, so fish and predators find it harder to spot.
That famous beak
A puffin’s beak is its most famous feature. Britannica says puffins are known for their large, brightly coloured, triangular beaks.
The Atlantic puffin’s beak is striped in blue-grey, yellow and red. It is tall and flat from side to side, a bit like a parrot’s beak turned on its edge. This is why puffins are sometimes called sea parrots.
Surprisingly, puffins do not keep their bright colours all year round. The RSPB says that after the breeding season, puffins shed the colourful outer plates of their beaks. Their faces fade to grey, and their orange legs turn a dull yellow.
So the bright beak is mainly for the breeding season. It helps puffins show off to each other and find a mate.
Where do puffins live?
Atlantic puffins live in the North Atlantic Ocean. In spring and summer, they gather in huge groups, called colonies, on rocky islands and sea cliffs.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology says they nest on rocky islands covered in short plants, and on sea cliffs. About half of all Atlantic puffins breed in Iceland. Other big colonies are found in Norway, the Faroe Islands, Britain, Ireland and eastern Canada.
The RSPB says the UK is home to about 9% of Europe’s puffins. They breed on islands and cliffs around the coast.
After the breeding season, puffins head out to sea. The RSPB says tracking studies show they spend the winter a long way from any coast. Many British puffins go right out into the Atlantic, while others stay in the North Sea.
Puffins share the far north with other hardy animals, such as the Arctic fox.
What do puffins eat?
Puffins eat small fish. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says they catch fish about 5 to 15 cm (2 to 6 inches) long, mainly sandeels, sprats, capelin, herring, hake and cod.
In the breeding season, they fish in shallow water close to their colony, usually no more than about 16 km (10 miles) from shore.
Sandeels are especially important. The RSPB says they are a staple food for puffins in the southern parts of their range, including the UK.
A beak full of fish
Puffins are famous for carrying several fish at once. Britannica says a puffin can catch as many as 10 small fish, one after another, and carry them all crosswise in its beak.
How does it keep hold of the first fish while it catches the next one? Cornell Lab of Ornithology says the puffin has backward-pointing spines on the roof of its mouth and on its tongue. These grip the fish, so the puffin can open its beak again without dropping them.
Flying underwater
Puffins are excellent swimmers and divers. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says they “fly” underwater, flapping their wings to push themselves along and using their feet to steer.
They can dive to about 60 m (200 feet), although they usually feed in shallower water.
On land, puffins are much less graceful. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says they waddle like a penguin, rocking slightly from side to side.
In the air, puffins flap their short wings very fast to stay up. They are strong fliers over the sea, but they sometimes crash-land when they come in to the cliffs.
Puffin burrows
Most seabirds lay their eggs on bare cliff ledges, but puffins nest underground. Britannica says they dig burrows 1 to 2 m (3 to 6 feet) deep.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology says both the male and female dig, using their beaks and feet, with the male usually doing more of the digging. They often line the burrow with grass and twigs.
On rocky islands where there is no soil to dig, puffins nest in cracks between rocks or under boulders instead.
Puffins like to come home. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says pairs often use the same burrow year after year.
Puffin pairs
Puffins usually stay with the same partner for many years. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says pairs often return to the same burrow with the same mate each spring.
To attract a female, a male flicks his head and makes a grunting call, rather like a pig, near a burrow. Once they are paired, the two birds rub their beaks together. This is called billing, and it helps them keep their bond.
Puffins also defend their burrows. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says they shake their heads or stomp their feet to show that a burrow is theirs. If another male comes too close, a fight can break out.
Puffin eggs and chicks
A puffin pair lays just one egg a year. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says the egg is dull white and about 6 cm (2.5 inches) long.
Both parents take turns keeping the egg warm. It hatches after 36 to 45 days, and the chick is covered in fluffy dark grey down.
A puffin chick is called a puffling. Both parents bring it fish to eat, and it grows fat in the safety of the burrow.
Britannica says that after about six weeks, the parents stop feeding their chick. The young puffin waits alone in the burrow until its flight feathers have grown. Then, usually at night, it leaves the burrow and flies out to sea by itself.
Life in a busy colony
A puffin colony is a noisy, crowded place. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says puffins often dig their burrows just a couple of body lengths from their neighbours.
Puffins that are not breeding often fly together in big loops over the colony cliffs, in circles or figure-of-eight paths. This is called wheeling flight.
There are polite manners too. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says a puffin arriving at the colony often crouches low, as if bowing, and walks around in a low position to show it does not want to fight.
Puffins in danger
There are still millions of puffins, but their numbers are falling. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says there are about 12 million breeding Atlantic puffins, and the species is listed as Vulnerable.
The main problem is food. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says warming ocean waters are changing where the small fish that puffins eat can be found. In southern Iceland, breeding has failed almost completely year after year for more than a decade, because of a shortage of sandeels.
The RSPB says Britain lost 23% of its puffins in 20 years, and puffins are now on the UK’s Red List of birds of conservation concern. Climate change and industrial-scale overfishing have both played a part.
Other animals have caused problems too. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says American mink escaped from fur farms in Iceland in the 1930s and wiped out almost all the puffin colonies on the mainland. Most of Iceland’s puffins now nest on small islands just offshore.
Helping puffins
People are working hard to help puffins. The RSPB says the UK banned industrial fishing for sandeels in the English North Sea and all Scottish waters in 2024, leaving more food for puffins and other seabirds.
In the United States, puffins had disappeared completely after people hunted them for their eggs, meat and feathers in the 1800s and early 1900s. Cornell Lab of Ornithology says a scientist called Steve Kress began moving young puffins to islands where puffins used to nest.
His work, called Project Puffin, was a success. More than 2,000 puffins now breed again on islands off the coast of Maine.
Three things people get wrong
Puffins are not penguins. Puffins can fly, and they live in the northern half of the world.
Puffins do not keep their colourful beaks all year. They shed the bright outer plates after the breeding season.
Puffins do not live on land. They spend most of the year out at sea.
Did you know? Puffins shed the bright outer plates of their beaks after the breeding season, so they look much duller in winter.
Try it
Draw a puffin in its summer colours and again in its winter colours. What changes?
Knowledge check
What is a baby puffin called?
Show answer
A puffling.
How do puffins hold lots of fish in their beak?
Show answer
Backward-pointing spines on the tongue and roof of the mouth grip the fish.
Frequently asked questions
What do puffins eat?
Puffins eat small fish about 5 to 15 cm long, mainly sandeels, sprats, capelin and herring. They can carry up to 10 fish at once in their beak.
Where do puffins live?
Atlantic puffins live in the North Atlantic. They nest in colonies on islands and cliffs in places like Iceland, Norway, Britain and Canada, then spend winter at sea.
Can puffins fly?
Yes. Puffins fly by flapping their short wings very fast. They also “fly” underwater, using their wings to swim and their feet to steer.
Why do puffins have colourful beaks?
The bright beak helps puffins show off and find a mate in the breeding season. They shed the colourful outer plates afterwards.
How many eggs do puffins lay?
A puffin pair lays just one egg a year in an underground burrow. It hatches after 36 to 45 days, and both parents feed the chick.
Are puffins endangered?
Atlantic puffins are listed as Vulnerable. Warming seas are reducing the fish they eat, and Britain lost 23% of its puffins in 20 years.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: puffin — the three species, size, colours, burrows, chicks and carrying fish
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Atlantic puffin life history — food, fishing range, mouth spines, diving, burrows, pairs, eggs, colony behaviour and conservation
- RSPB: puffin — appearance, winter colours, where puffins winter, UK numbers, sandeels and the 2024 sandeel fishing ban
