What is a baby puffin called?īaby puffins are called pufflings. Once fledged, baby puffins take to the ocean and remain there for two to three years before returning to land to nest. Once the female has laid her egg the male and female take it in turns to incubate it for around 36 to 45 days. Burrows, which can be around 2–3 ft (0.6–1 m) long, are dug by using their sharp claws and beaks before being lined with a mix of soft feathers and grass. Puffins nest in big colonies on coastal cliffs and islands, laying eggs in rock crevices or nests in grass banks. They reach sexual maturity and start reproducing at around five years old and lay one egg per year. Puffins are monogamous, mating with the same partner year after year. This means they can carry more food for their young and feed them without the need for regurgitation. They are unusual in that they have coarse tongues and spines on their upper palette which enables them to carry multiple fish at a time, usually up to 10 sandeels in any one feeding trip. Puffins dive 200 ft (60 m) in search of fish, with dives usually lasting 20–30 seconds, but up to a minute is possible. The exact diet varies between colonies though, and depends on which fish are found around the breeding area. Puffins are pelagic seabirds that feed mainly on small fish such as sandeels, hake, herring, capelin and sand lance. They also have waterproof feathers and the ability to drink seawater. Spending all winter at sea requires some adaptations, and puffins survive by being excellent swimmers and hunters. How are puffins adapted for a life at sea? In summer, between April and August, puffins come into breed on rocky cliffs and in burrows on grassy banks. They spend entire winters at sea without coming in to land, and rest by sitting on the surface of the water. Where do Atlantic puffins live?Ītlantic puffins are found across the North-Atlantic Ocean, from the east coast of Canada and America to western Europe and Russia. In summer, their broad, triangular beaks and legs are bright orange but in winter, following the end of the breeding season, they dull to a grey colour. What do puffins look like?Ītlantic puffins are very distinctive small black and white birds, with stocky bodies and short wings adapted for swimming their wingspan is 19–25 in (28–30 cm). They are both able to swallow fish under water or carry multiple fish back to their burrow in one go. With wings adapted to swimming and webbed feet for steering, puffins are well adapted for life at sea. Not only does the oil make these beautiful birds sick, it destroys their waterproof feathers, essential for their survival.With their distinctive black and white bodies and brightly coloured beaks, puffins are well known and easily recognisable birds in the auk family. The main threats are overfishing, which can lead to a shortage of food for puffins, and pollution – particularly oil spills. Although puffins are not classed as an endangered species, populations in some places are in decline. Their main predators are hungry gulls, which can snatch puffins mid-flight or swoop down and scoop their tasty treat from the ground – so they need to keep alert!ġ0. In the wild, these winged wonders live for around 20 years. Both parents take it in turn to incubate the egg for the next 36-45 days before the baby “ puffling” hatches!ĩ. At the back of their burrow home, they build a nest lined with feathers and grass where the female lays her egg. When starting a puffin family, our feathered friends dig out a burrow using their sharp claws and beak, usually in a grassy bank or rocky crevice. They usually pair up with the same partner as previous years – some may have been together for 20 years!Ĩ. In spring and summer, thousands of puffins gather in colonies on the coasts and islands of the North Atlantic Ocean to breed. What’s more, these brilliant birds are great swimmers, too! Using their webbed feet as a rudder, puffins can dive down 60m under water in search of their favourite fish.ħ. Puffins are fab flyers, flapping their wings up to 400 times a minute and speeding through the air at up to 88km an hour. Puffins are carnivores and live off small fish such as herring, hake and sand eels.ĥ. In winter, the beak has a dull grey colour, but in spring it blooms with an outrageous orange! It’s thought that the bright colour helps puffins assess potential mates.Ĥ. A puffin’s beak (or bill) changes colour during the year. Ask your parents to check out Nat Geo Kids magazine! (AD)ģ.
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