Horned Puffin

Fratercula corniculataOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Auks, Murres and Puffins (Alcidae)

Codes: Common Name: HOPU Scientific Name: FRACOR ITIS Taxonomic No.: 177029

Breeding Location:

Lakes, Seashore, rocky or sandy, Rivers, Rocky cliffs

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial

Breeding Population:

Abundant to very common

Egg Color:

White with brown and lavender spots

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

40 - 42

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Lined with grass.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

General

Horned Puffin: Medium-sized puffin with black upperparts and white underparts. Face is white with a black, fleshy horn above eye extending to top of head. Bill is triangular and massive during summer, when it is bright yellow with orange tip. Sexes are similar. Winter adult has gray face, smaller gray bill with dull orange tip, and lacks horns.

Range and Habitat

Horned Puffin: Breeds from northern Alaska south to the British Columbia border. Spends winters at sea south to Washington; rarely to California. Preferred habitats include cold ocean waters, sea cliffs, and rocky or grass-covered islets and rocks.

Breeding and Nesting

Horned Puffin: One white egg with small dark spots is laid in a crevice or deep hole among boulders. Incubation ranges from 40 to 42 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Horned Puffin: Eats small fish and invertebrates. Forages by diving from the surface and swimming underwater; spines on tongue and in mouth act as hooks, better enabling capture of fish.

Vocalization

Horned Puffin: Generally silent. Utters harsh notes from its burrow.

Similar Species

Horned Puffin: Tufted Puffin has dark underparts and in breeding plumage has pale yellow plumes on head. Common and Thick-billed murres have entirely dark head, small, dark bill, and white trailing margin on inner wing.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Horned Puffin

Horned Puffin: Medium puffin with black upperparts, white underparts. White face with a black, fleshy horn above eye extending to top of head. Bill is triangular and massive during summer, when it is bright yellow with orange tip. Strong direct flight on rapid wing beats, often high over the water.

● Song: Generally silent

● Foraging & Feeding: Horned Puffin: Eats small fish and invertebrates. Forages by diving from the surface and swimming underwater; spines on tongue and in mouth act as hooks, better enabling capture of fish.

● Breeding & nesting: Horned Puffin: One white egg with small dark spots is laid in a crevice or deep hole among boulders. Incubation ranges from 40 to 42 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Horned Puffin: Tufted Puffin has dark underparts and in breeding plumage has pale yellow plumes on head. Common and Thick-billed murres have entirely dark head, small, dark bill, and white trailing margin on inner wing.

Flight Pattern

Strong direct flight with deep rapid wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Horned Puffin: Breeds from northern Alaska south to the British Columbia border. Spends winters at sea south to Washington; rarely to California. Preferred habitats include cold ocean waters, sea cliffs, and rocky or grass-covered islets and rocks.

^BreedingMonogamous, Colonial

^PopulationAbundant to very common

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight22.4 Ounces

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

Horns

Paired contour feathers on top of the head of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Horned Puffin

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Vocalization

Similar Species

Horned Puffin

Flight Pattern