The Atlantic Puffin is a seabird in the auk family. It is a pelagic species that feeds primarily by diving for fish. Its most obvious characteristic is its brightly colored beak during the breeding seasons. It is the only puffin species which is found in the Atlantic Ocean.
They breed on the coasts of northern Europe, Faroe Islands, Iceland and eastern North America, from well within the Arctic Circle to northern France and Maine. The winter months are spent at sea far from land - in Europe as far south as the Mediterranean and in North America to North Carolina.
The Atlantic Puffin is typically silent at sea, except for soft purring sounds it sometimes makes in flight. At the breeding colonies the birds make a deep growl.
From IUCN Red List: The Atlantic Puffin is listed as Vulnerable
on the IUCN Red List and was last assessed in 2015 by BirdLife International. This species has experienced rapid declines across its European range. Population trends outside Europe are unknown. Extrapolated over three generation lengths and allowing for uncertainty, the population is thought to be declining at a rate sufficient to trigger Vulnerable under the population size criterion. Should population trends become less uncertain both within and outside its European range it may merit uplisting or downlisting.
Our cute Atlantic Puffin is featured on this Christmas coloring by Birdorable. The Atlantic Puffin is a seabird in the auk family. It is a pelagic species that feeds primarily by diving ... more
