# Atlantic Puffin (*Fratercula arctica*) The Atlantic Puffin is a colorful bird with a big, bright beak. It looks like a little clown of the sea! - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Rare - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Habitat:** Coastal cliffs and islands - **Also known as:** Puffin ![Atlantic Puffin](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771424637/objects/4626.jpg) ## Appearance The Atlantic Puffin has a striking black back and white belly with a bright orange, red, and yellow triangular bill. Its face is pale grey with dark eye patches, and it sports vibrant orange legs. This makes it visually distinct from most other seabirds. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Charadriiformes - **Family:** Alcidae - **Genus:** Fratercula ## Interesting facts - A puffin can flap its wings up to 400 times a minute while flying! - Baby puffins are super cute and are called 'pufflings'! - Puffins are sometimes called 'sea parrots' or 'clowns of the sea'! - Their colorful beaks actually get duller in winter and brighten in spring! ## Special abilities - **Underwater Aviator:** Atlantic Puffin can 'fly' underwater, flapping its wings like a bird in air, which helps them swiftly catch fish. - **Fish Collector:** Atlantic Puffin has a unique hinged beak and spiny tongue that helps them hold over a dozen fish at once. - **Deep Diver:** Atlantic Puffin can dive over 60 meters deep because of its dense bones and strong muscles, helping it find hidden prey. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 28-34 cm - **Wingspan:** 50-60 cm - **Weight:** 0.32-0.48 kg - **Lifespan:** 18-25 years - **Speed:** 88 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 1 - **Incubation:** 39-43 days - **Migration Distance:** 1000 km ## Diet & Feeding Puffins are amazing divers, hunting small ocean fish with their wings. - **Primary Foods:** Sandeels, Herring, Capelin, Sprats - **Foraging Method:** Pursuit ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** Great Skua (*Stercorarius skua*) — eats eggs, chicks, and sometimes adult puffins - **Eaten by:** [Arctic Fox](https://www.snappit.app/explore/arctic-fox) (*Vulpes lagopus*) — preys on puffins, especially chicks, near colonies - **Hunts:** Lesser Sandeel (*Ammodytes marinus*) — a primary food source for puffins ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Webbed Feet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/webbed-feet): Characterized by having toes connected by a membrane, typically aiding in swimming. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Piscivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/piscivorous): Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish. - [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater. - [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment. - [Migratory](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/migratory): Migratory animals undertake seasonal movements from one region to another, typically in response to changes in climate or food availability. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low Watch quietly from a distance and never try to feed or chase wild animals. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Atlantic Puffin? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Atlantic Puffin? 28-34 cm ### What is Atlantic Puffin's wingspan? 50-60 cm ### How much does Atlantic Puffin weigh? 0.32-0.48 kg ### How long does Atlantic Puffin live? 18-25 years ### How fast can Atlantic Puffin move? 88 km/h ### What does Atlantic Puffin eat? Puffins are amazing divers, hunting small ocean fish with their wings. ### Where is Atlantic Puffin usually found? Coastal cliffs and islands ## Where to spot - [Central Park Zoo](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/central-park-zoo) — New York, US · Zoo - [Aquazoo Löbbecke Museum Düsseldorf](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/aquazoo-lobbecke-museum-dusseldorf) — Nordrhein-Westfalen, DE · Aquarium - [Sept-Îles National Nature Reserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sept-iles-national-nature-reserve) — Bretagne, FR · Park [View all places to see Atlantic Puffin](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/atlantic-puffin) ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Atlantic Puffin: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/atlantic-puffin)