Puffins belong to the order Charadriiformes, which includes shorebirds, gulls, and auks. They are members of the family Alcidae, which consists entirely of auks, and belong to the genus Fratercula. There are three extant species of puffins: the Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica), the tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata), and the horned puffin (Fratercula corniculata).
Puffins are seabirds
As members of the order Charadriiformes, puffins are considered seabirds. Seabirds are birds that spend most of their lives at sea, coming to land primarily to breed. Other well-known groups of seabirds include albatrosses, petrels, penguins, pelicans, boobies, gannets, cormorants, frigatebirds, skuas, gulls, terns, and skimmers. There are around 350 species of seabirds worldwide.
Seabirds have adapted in a number of ways to life at sea. They have webbed feet for propelling through the water and waterproof feathers to stay dry and buoyant. Their wings are often long and narrow to provide power and endurance for long flights over the ocean. Seabird bodies tend to be streamlined for gliding low over the water when searching for prey. And they have salt glands to eliminate excess salt from the marine food they eat and drink.
Puffins exhibit all the typical adaptations of seabirds. Their compact bodies, short wings, webbed feet, and waterproof plumage are perfect for diving from flight into the ocean after fish. And their brightly colored beaks change in color during the year, possibly playing a role in courtship rituals. When on land, puffins are clumsy due to their short legs and outward-facing feet made for swimming, not walking.
Puffins are also auks
The family Alcidae that puffins belong to consists of the auks, a group of seabirds that live mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. There are around 25 species of auks including murres, guillemots, auklets, and of course, puffins.
Auks are adapted to swim underwater and hunt fish, crustaceans, and other marine prey. They have compact bodies for diving and flying, as well as stubby wings that provide enough lift to get airborne. Their plumage is black or black and white, helping them camouflage in the ocean depths. Auks come to coastal cliffs and rocky islands to breed in large colonies.
Puffins share all of these characteristics with their other auk relatives. Puffins have stocky bodies, short wings, excellent swimming skills, and black and white feathers. They nest in burrows on grassy cliffs and rocky islands, forming huge breeding colonies. They are well adapted to pursue fish underwater by flying and paddling with their wings.
Unique features of puffins
While puffins share many traits typical of auks and seabirds, they also have unique features that set them apart from related families.
Large, colorful beaks
Puffins have large, triangular beaks that are brightly colored with red, orange, yellow, blue, and other hues. Their beaks change color during the year. Scientists believe this may play a role in courtship displays, as well as indicating health and age.
Rough tongue
The puffin’s tongue has backward-facing spines which allows them to firmly hold many small fish crosswise in their beak at one time.
Paddling flight style
In flight, puffins rapidly beat their wings while underwater to propel through the water to catch fish.
Dig burrows for nests
Rather than nesting on open cliffs, puffins dig burrows in soft soil for nesting and raising their chick. They often nest in large colonies with interconnected burrows.
Atlantic puffin
The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) breeds on islands and coastal cliffs in the North Atlantic Ocean and north Pacific Ocean. It is the most common and well-known species of puffin.
Characteristics
- Black crown and back with a white belly
- Red, yellow, orange, and blue triangular beak
- Bright orange feet and eyes
- 25-30 cm in length
- 58-70 cm wingspan
Breeding
Atlantic puffins nest in underground burrows on grassy clifftops and rocky islands. They form large breeding colonies, with pairs returning to the same burrow year after year. They lay a single white egg per season. Both parents take turns incubating the egg and feeding the chick after it hatches.
Diet
Atlantic puffins mainly eat small fish such as sand eels, herring, and capelin. They also eat crustaceans and mollusks. Puffins can carry over 10 fish crosswise in their beak when hunting.
Population
There are approximately 10 million Atlantic puffins breeding in the North Atlantic. However, they suffered drastic population declines in the 20th century before protective measures helped numbers recover. Atlantic puffins remain vulnerable to climate change, pollution, habitat loss, and overfishing.
Tufted puffin
The tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) lives along the northern Pacific coast of North America and eastern Russia. It is medium-sized with yellow head tufts and a large red bill.
Characteristics
- Black body with white underbelly
- Bright red bill that grows up to 50mm long
- Long yellow head plumes extending back from the eyes
- Reddish orange legs and feet
- 35-40 cm in length
- 76 cm wingspan
Breeding
Tufted puffins dig burrows for nesting on grassy islands and sea cliffs. They lay a single egg per season, which both parents take turns incubating. Chicks fledge the nest around 6-7 weeks after hatching.
Diet
Tufted puffins mainly eat small fish including herring, sandlance and capelin. They also eat crustaceans, polychaete worms and other marine invertebrates.
Population
There are approximately 2.5 million tufted puffins globally, with 80% breeding in Alaska. Numbers are decreasing due to climate change, oil spills, overfishing, and habitat disturbance.
Horned puffin
The horned puffin (Fratercula corniculata) inhabits coastal areas from Siberia to Alaska and down to northern Japan. It has a black crown, yellow brow horns, and a red bill.
Characteristics
- Black upperparts and white underbelly
- Yellow fleshy “horns” above the eyes
- Broad triangular red bill
- 28-35 cm in length
- 76 cm wingspan
Breeding
Horned puffins nest in rock crevices and burrows on sea cliffs and grassy islands. They form colonies and return to the same site year after year. A single egg is laid per season.
Diet
Small fish like herring, sandlance and capelin make up most of the horned puffin’s diet. They also eat zooplankton, squid and other marine invertebrates.
Population
There are around 1 million horned puffins worldwide. Their numbers have declined up to 90% in some regions due to climate change, pollution, overfishing and habitat loss.
Conclusion
In summary, puffins belong to the family Alcidae which contains the auks – they are both auks and seabirds. The three living puffin species all have stocky bodies, short wings, webbed feet, waterproof feathers, and large colorful beaks adapted to their marine lifestyle. While they share many traits with related auks, puffins have their own unique features like burrow nesting and paddling flight style. Threats from human activities have caused declines in puffin populations, highlighting the need for greater environmental protection efforts.