3/6/2023 0 Comments Atlantic puffin![]() ![]() ![]() They dig their holes (or burrows) using their beaks and feet. In spring and summer, thousands of puffins gather in colonies on the coasts and islands of the North Atlantic Ocean to breed. Puffins don’t make nests, they dig holes. ![]() They seem to have very conservative family values and usually pair up with the same partner as previous years – some have been together 20 years! They raise their single chick (or puffling) over the course of summer and return every year to the same burrow with the same mate. Puffins are carnivores and live off small fish such as herring, hake and sand eels. They are well suited to life on the sea and mostly eat fish. Puffins spend most of their lives out at sea, resting on the waves when not swimming. Just before winter sets in, they shed the colourful outer beak, leaving a noticeably smaller and duller-coloured beak. They only possess Technicolor beaks – and their matching orange feet – during the spring breeding season. Sixty percent of the world’s puffins breed in Iceland.Ī puffin’s beak (or bill) changes colour during the year. The one breeding in Iceland is the Atlantic puffin, the other species are the Horned puffin, Tufted puffin and Rhinoceros Auklet. Here are some interesting facts about this beautiful bird, it’s everything you really need to know about puffins. Puffins can be seen in Iceland from early April until late August. It is a seabird in the auk family that breeds in and around Iceland. The Atlantic puffin has black and white feathers and a large and colourful beak. He is both captivating and peculiar and has been nicknamed ‘Sea Parrot’, ‘Penguin of the North’ and even ‘Clown of the Sea’ and is also known as the Common Puffin. Not only does the oil make these beautiful birds sick, it destroys their waterproof feathers, essential for their survival.The Atlantic puffin has become Iceland‘s most precious bird and a tourist attraction. The main threats are overfishing, which can lead to a shortage of food for puffins, and pollution – particularly oil spills. Although puffins are not classed as an endangered species, populations in some places are in decline. Their main predators are hungry gulls, which can snatch puffins mid-flight or swoop down and scoop their tasty treat from the ground – so they need to keep alert!ġ0. In the wild, these winged wonders live for around 20 years. Both parents take it in turn to incubate the egg for the next 36-45 days before the baby “ puffling” hatches!ĩ. At the back of their burrow home, they build a nest lined with feathers and grass where the female lays her egg. When starting a puffin family, our feathered friends dig out a burrow using their sharp claws and beak, usually in a grassy bank or rocky crevice. ![]() They usually pair up with the same partner as previous years – some may have been together for 20 years!Ĩ. In spring and summer, thousands of puffins gather in colonies on the coasts and islands of the North Atlantic Ocean to breed. What’s more, these brilliant birds are great swimmers, too! Using their webbed feet as a rudder, puffins can dive down 60m under water in search of their favourite fish.ħ. Puffins are fab flyers, flapping their wings up to 400 times a minute and speeding through the air at up to 88km an hour. Puffins are carnivores and live off small fish such as herring, hake and sand eels.ĥ. In winter, the beak has a dull grey colour, but in spring it blooms with an outrageous orange! It’s thought that the bright colour helps puffins assess potential mates.Ĥ. A puffin’s beak (or bill) changes colour during the year. Ask your parents to check out Nat Geo Kids magazine! (AD)ģ. ![]()
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