Alcids

Atlantic Puffin, Fratercula corniculata

Family Alcidae (Alcids)

Size: 12.5"

Season: Year-round

Habitat: Offshore islands, open ocean

Also known as the “sea parrot,” the Atlantic puffin is a small, compact puffin with short, rounded wings, a short tail, a large head, and a tall, laterally compressed, triangular bill. Its plumage is black above and white below, with a white facial disk, a broad, black collar, and red-orange legs. The bill is blue gray at the base, grooved, and orange on the outer half. In winter the bill is narrower and the face is suffused with sooty gray. Atlantic puffins breed in earthen tunnels on remote islands, where they are quite sociable and docile. They dive underwater from the air or from the surface, and swim to catch small fish (especially sand eels), or crustaceans. When feeding their young, they can carry huge loads of food in there large bills. The adult is illustrated.