Puffin puffling – curious, quirky and infinitely cute

Puffin pictures featuring pufflings

Puffin chicks, also known as pufflings, are fascinating creatures with unique characteristics and behaviours. They are born in burrows on cliff edges or craggy islands during the puffin breeding season, which typically spans from April to August. While still in the chick stage, pufflings are relatively small, weighing approximately 350 grams. They are coated with soft, downy feathers that are initially dark, providing excellent camouflage against predators in their early stages of life. Puffin chicks are generally fed by their parents who deliver small fish, like herring or sand eels, to their burrow nests. The parents tirelessly search for food, often making several trips per day. Puffin parents are known for their distinctive way of carrying fish, vertically lined up in their bills, which showcases their unique, large beak capacity.

Facts about Atlantic Puffins
Other Name(s): Common Puffin
Nick Names: Sea Parrot, Sea Clown, Sea Rooster 
Scientific Name: Fratercula arctica
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