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(Many Paths)
An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
 
 
 
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Atlantic Puffin
( Fratercula arctica)
 
 
by National Geographic
ABOUT THE ATLANTIC PUFFIN

Atlantic puffins have penguin-like coloring but they sport a colorful beak that has led some to dub them the “sea parrot.” The beak fades to a drab gray during the winter and blooms with color again in the spring—suggesting that it may be attractive to potential mates.

Swimming and Flying

These birds live most of their lives at sea, resting on the waves when not swimming. They are excellent swimmers that use their wings to stroke underwater with a flying motion. They steer with rudderlike webbed feet and can dive to depths of 200 feet, though they usually stay underwater for only 20 or 30 seconds. Puffins typically hunt small fish like herring or sand eels.

In the air, puffins are surprisingly fleet flyers. By flapping their wings up to 400 times per minute they can reach speeds of 55 miles an hour.

Puffin Colonies and Breeding

Atlantic puffins land on North Atlantic seacoasts and islands to form breeding colonies each spring and summer. Iceland is the breeding home of perhaps 60 percent of the world's Atlantic puffins. The birds often select precipitous, rocky cliff tops to build their nests, which they line with feathers or grass. Females lay a single egg, and both parents take turns incubating it. When a chick hatches, its parents take turns feeding it by carrying small fish back to the nest in their relatively spacious bills. Puffin couples often reunite at the same burrow site each year. It is unclear how these birds navigate back to their home grounds. They may use visual reference points, smells, sounds, the Earth's magnetic fields—or perhaps even the stars.

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Breeding is the only reason puffins go on land.
  • During the breeding season the male puffin's bill turns bright yellow, blue, and orange.
  • Puffins live an average of 30 years.
  • Puffins burrow near cliff edges for quick access to the sea.
  • Puffins use their beak and webbed feet to dig a burrow in soft earth.up to
  • Puffin parents make up to 8 food runs a day. Each bird can grip 20 or more fish in its beak

Puffins can not take off without a running start.

 
When courting, puffins rub and clack their beaks together. It's called billing.
 
Atlantic Puffin with a meal.
Atlantic Puffin range
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  Canku Ota is a free Newsletter celebrating Native America, its traditions and accomplishments . We do not provide subscriber or visitor names to anyone. Some articles presented in Canku Ota may contain copyright material. We have received appropriate permissions for republishing any articles. Material appearing here is distributed without profit or monetary gain to those who have expressed an interest. This is in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.  
 
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