Atlantic puffin

E83005

The Atlantic puffin is a small, stocky seabird of the North Atlantic known for its colorful, parrot-like bill and its habit of nesting in colonies on coastal cliffs and islands.

Aliases (1)

Statements (62)
Predicate Object
instanceOf animal
bird
seabird
ageAtFledging about 6–8 weeks
billColor brightly colored in breeding season
binomialName Fratercula arctica
bodyLength 28–30 cm
bodyMass 300–500 g
breedsIn Faroe Islands
Greenland
Iceland
Ireland
Maine
North Atlantic region
Norway
United Kingdom NERFINISHED
eastern Canada
class Aves
clutchSize 1 egg per breeding season
commonName Atlantic puffin
common puffin
conservationStatus Vulnerable
conservationStatusSystem IUCN Red List
culturalRole tourist attraction in breeding areas
describedBy Carl Linnaeus
diet capelin
herring
marine invertebrates
sand eels
small fish
faceColor pale grey face in breeding plumage
family Alcidae
foragingMethod pursuit diving
underwater swimming using wings
forms breeding colonies
genus Fratercula
habitat coastal cliffs
offshore islands
open ocean
incubationPeriod about 39–45 days
kingdom Animalia
lifespan over 20 years in the wild
migration pelagic outside breeding season
nativeTo North Atlantic Ocean
nestsIn burrows
rock crevices
notableFeature bright orange legs and feet
large triangular multicolored bill
order Charadriiformes
parentalCare biparental care
phylum Chordata
plumageColor black upperparts
white underparts
symbolOf Atlantic coastal wildlife
Iceland
taxonRank species
threat climate change
introduced predators
overfishing of prey species
pollution
wingspan 47–63 cm
yearDescribed 1758


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