Bird name:

Atlantic Puffin

Fratercula arctica

Order

CHARADRIIFORMES

Family

Auks, Murres and Puffins (Alcidae)

Code 4

ATPU

Code 6

FRAARC

ITIS

177025

Breeding Location:

Rocky cliffs, Beaches, coastal

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial

Breeding Population:

Common but local

Egg Color:

White with brown or lavender spots

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

39 - 45

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Feathers, leaves and grass.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

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General

Atlantic Puffin: Medium-sized seabird with black upperparts, white underparts, white face, and large, parrot-like, orange and gray bill. Eyes surrounded by orange and black markings; legs and feet are bright orange. Sexes are similar. Winter adult has gray face and duller bill. Juvenile resembles winter adult but has smaller bill.

Range and Habitat

Atlantic Puffin: Occurs in and around the north Atlantic. Disperse in winter over open ocean, reaching as far south as the Azores and Canary Islands. During summer, frequents rocky cliffs of the north Atlantic and northern Europe.

Breeding and Nesting

Atlantic Puffin: One white round egg, sometimes with brown or lavender spots, is laid in a nest, usually in a burrow lined with grass, feathers, seaweed, and leaves, and built at top of a cliff or on an island. Incubation ranges from 39 to 45 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Atlantic Puffin: Eats small fish, mollusks, and crustaceans; forages by diving from the surface and swimming underwater with wings.

Vocalization

Atlantic Puffin: Call is a deep "arrr-uh."

Similar Species

Atlantic Puffin: Razorbill has black bill, hood, legs, and feet, lacks black collar, and has white trailing edge on wings.

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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.

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.

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