Puffins
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| Puffins | ||||||||||||
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| Missing image Puffin2.jpg Atlantic Puffin | ||||||||||||
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Fratercula arctica |
The puffin is an auk (or alcid) of the genus Fratercula (Latin: Little Brother - probably a reference to their black and white plumage resembling monastic robes) with a brightly colored beak in the breeding season. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving. They breed in large colonies, nesting in crevices or burrows.
Puffins are chunky birds with large bills. Their short wings are adapted for swimming under water. In the air, they beat their wings rapidly in swift flight, often flying low over the ocean's surface. Sailors used to refer to these birds as "sea parrots".
There are three species:
- F. arctica (Atlantic Puffin)
- F. corniculata (Horned Puffin)
- F. cirrhata (Tufted Puffin)