Puffin landing adroitly with a selection of sand eels

Puffin landing with sand eels

Puffin landing amidst a field of spring wildflowers during the breeding season. An Atlantic Puffin carrying a mouthful of sand eels to feeds its young. Puffin landing from flight, its wings spread to slow its descent as it lands on a hillside strewn with white sea campion. Puffins in flight are a wonderful sight in the British Isles during the breeding season during spring and early summer. For the remainder of the year they disperse throughout the colder regions of the Atlantic and North Sea.

They have an impressive fishing ability, with the Atlantic Puffin capable of diving up to 60 meters deep in search of fish. When hunting, puffins can hold several small fish in their beaks and still continue to catch more, thanks to the unique hinged structure of their beaks.

Facts about Atlantic Puffins
Other Name(s): Common Puffin
Nick Names: Sea Parrot, Sea Clown, Sea Rooster 
Scientific Name: Fratercula arctica
Family: Auks (Alcidae)
Size: 70 - 90 cm
Weight: 500g
Lifespan: 20 - 29 years 
Diet: Sand eels, sprats, herring, capelin, shrimp, crustaceans, molluscs
Habitat: Open sea year round; cliff areas and islands during breeding
Distribution: North Atlantic Ocean, North Sea; During breeding, coasts and Islands of Norhtwest Europe, Arctic fringes, Eastern North America
Conservation: Least Concern