![]() ![]() The webbing between its toes lets the Atlantic puffin use its feet as effective steering paddles. The Atlantic puffin can dive as deep as 200-230 feet (60-70 meters) and practically spirals down using its little wings just like propellers. ![]() An Atlantic puffin in Canada holds the record with the largest number of fish in its bill – it carried around 61 fish at the same time.Ītlantic Puffin - Photo: Matt Elliott/Shutterstock Senses and Abilities How Deep Do Atlantic Puffins Dive? This allows the Atlantic puffin to continue hunting and open the bill without losing the fish it has caught already. The trick is to use the tongue and press the fish against the inwardly serrated edges of the bill, which hold the fish like little fishhooks. Even if it is already carrying several fish around in its triangular bill, it manages to capture even more of them. The Atlantic puffin literally likes to bite off more than it can swallow. Behavior Atlantic Puffins Carry Up to 60 Fish in Their Bills During the winter, their bill is grey-brown. In summer, Atlantic Puffins have an extraordinary orange-colored bill. This is why they are also called “sea parrots”.Ītlantic Puffin - Photo: Arnoud Quanjer/Shutterstock Anatomy and Appearance The Color of the Bill Yet, their bills resemble those of parrots. They have a black and white plumage and walk upright like the little fellows in their tailcoats. Species Is it a Penguin?Ītlantic Puffins could indeed be mistaken for a rare penguin species. The Atlantic puffin belongs to the family of the auks and lives on the open sea of colder regions such as North America, Greenland and Iceland most of the time. While the puffin is agile in the water, it is not as graceful in the air and on land! It often crash lands both on the water and on land.10-12 in (26-29 cm) 1-1.5 in (3-4 cm) (bill) Its compact body, strong wings, and webbed feet help it dive and maneuver under the water. The Atlantic puffin is well adapted for life in the water. It is sometimes known as the "sea parrot" or the "clown of the sea" because of its colorful and comical appearance. Male and female pairs may mate for more than one season.īehavior The Atlantic puffin is one of four species of puffins and is the only puffin that lives in the North Atlantic Ocean. The adult Atlantic puffin can carry as many as 30 small fish in its bill to feed to its chick. ![]() The egg hatches in about 40 days, and both parents feed the chick for another 40 days. The female lays a single egg and both parents incubate the egg by tucking it under a wing and leaning against it. The nest may also be made in a rocky crevice. The male uses his bill and feet to dig a nesting burrow on an ocean cliff or island. It catches small fish, crustaceans, and mollusks and usually swallows them underwater. It dives both from the air and from the surface of the water and can dive hundreds of feet under the water in pursuit of prey. The Atlantic puffin dives for its food and uses its wings to swim underwater. The Atlantic puffin is found on rocky coasts in the Northern Atlantic Ocean during the breeding season and on the open ocean in the non-breeding season. The Atlantic puffin is also found in Northern Europe. It winters far offshore in deep ocean waters. The Atlantic puffin breeds along the Atlantic Coast from the Canadian Maritimes south to Maine. ![]() The puffin looks so different during breeding and non-breeding season that it was once thought to be two separate species of bird. The puffin's white face also becomes darker after the breeding season. After the breeding season, some of the bill's outer horny plates fall off and the bill is smaller and duller. It has bright orange webbed feet a white face and cheeks and a large, triangular parrot-like bill that is bright red and yellow. It is black on its uppersides and white on its chest and belly. It is a short and stocky diving sea bird about 12 inches in length with a wingspan of 20-24 inches. The Atlantic puffin was once known as the common puffin. ![]()
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