Measurements
Both Sexes
Other Names
- Macareux moine (French)
- Frailecillo (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Atlantic Puffin may live to be more than 30 years old. It does not breed until it is three to six years old.
- The bright colors of the Atlantic Puffin make it well loved by people. Boat tours to see puffins are popular near their breeding grounds, and it has been selected to be the provincial bird of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Habitat
Ocean
Food
Fish
Nesting
Nest Placement
Burrow
Behavior
Surface Dive
Conservation
Least Concern
Heavily exploited for eggs and meat in 1800s and early 1900s. Populations drastically declined, with some colonies eliminated. Currently American population is growing. Reintroduction program in Maine run by National Audubon Society was successful in creating new breeding colonies of the species in that state. For more information, visit Project Puffin
Credits
- Lowther, P. E., A. W. Diamond, S. W. Kress, G. J. Robertson, and K. Russell. 2002. Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica). In The Birds of North America, No. 709 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.