Puffin, Sea Parrot. Puffins are any of three small species of alcids in the bird genus Fratercula with a brightly coloured beak during the breeding season.
These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among rocks or in burrows in the soil.
Two species, the tufted puffin and horned puffin, are found in the North Pacific Ocean, while the Atlantic puffin is found in the North Atlantic Ocean. All puffin species have predominantly black or black and white plumage, a stocky build, and large beaks.
They shed the colourful outer parts of their bills after the breeding season, leaving a smaller and duller beak. Their short wings are adapted for swimming with a flying technique under water.
In the air, they beat their wings rapidly in swift flight, often flying low over the ocean's surface. A significant decline in numbers of puffins on Shetland is worrying scientists. The genus Fratercula was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the Atlantic puffin as the type species. The name Fratercula is Latin for little brother, a reference to the black and white plumage, which resembles monastic robes. The English name puffin-puffed in the sense of swollen-was originally applied to the fatty, salted meat of young birds of the unrelated Manx shearwater, formerly known as
These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among rocks or in burrows in the soil.
Two species, the tufted puffin and horned puffin, are found in the North Pacific Ocean, while the Atlantic puffin is found in the North Atlantic Ocean. All puffin species have predominantly black or black and white plumage, a stocky build, and large beaks.
They shed the colourful outer parts of their bills after the breeding season, leaving a smaller and duller beak. Their short wings are adapted for swimming with a flying technique under water.
In the air, they beat their wings rapidly in swift flight, often flying low over the ocean's surface. A significant decline in numbers of puffins on Shetland is worrying scientists. The genus Fratercula was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the Atlantic puffin as the type species. The name Fratercula is Latin for little brother, a reference to the black and white plumage, which resembles monastic robes. The English name puffin-puffed in the sense of swollen-was originally applied to the fatty, salted meat of young birds of the unrelated Manx shearwater, formerly known as
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