Tufted Puffins

Scientific Name: Fratercula cirrhata

Description: The Tufted Puffin is a Range/Habitat: With the exception Nesting: Tufted Puffins form long medium-sized, stocky, dark seabird of estuaries, breeding colonies of term pair bonds to care for their off- with a rounded head. The thick, red- Tufted Puffins can be found on is- spring. They nest in burrows at cliff orange bill has a bright orange/yellow lands and on mainland coastlines edges, on grassy slopes, or in rocky plate over the base. Their large throughout the Pacific Ocean north crevices. To prepare the nest site the webbed feet are orange; their eyes are to south from the Chukchi Peninsula pair excavates a burrow with their ringed with orange. Males and fe- in Siberia to the Channel Islands off bills and feet. The protected burrow is males look alike, but males are usual- southern California. They breed in 2-7 feet long with a nest at the end. ly slightly larger. The breeding adult colonies on islands with steep, grassy The nest is usually lined with grass or is all black except for a white face and slopes or on cliff tops. During the feathers, but sometimes has no lining long golden plumes which curl over winter they are mostly pelagic (live at all. The female lays one egg. Both the back of the head and neck. The at sea). parents incubate this egg for 6.5 to 7.5 nonbreeding adult has a dark gray weeks. After the egg hatches both par- face with no head plumes. Tufted Puf- Diet: Tufted Puffins dine mostly on ents care for the young for yet another fins are the size of pigeons, but weigh small fish. They also eat squid, octo- 6-7 weeks until it is ready to leave the nearly twice as much (1 kg, 2 lbs). pus, crab, jellyfish, and zooplankton. nest. The fledgling leaves its burrow at night and moves to sea by walking Behavior: Tufted Puffins are active and fluttering its wings. at their nest colonies during the day and can often be seen sitting upright on rocks. They dive and swim un- derwater using their wings to paddle and their feet to steer. Puffins can carry 5-20 fish at a time back to their nests. An average catch is about 10 fish per trip. Puffins’ beaks are spe- cialized to hold many fish. Their raspy tongues secure fish against For more information search for spines on their palates while the “tufted puffin” on these websites: birds open their mouths to catch  www.birdlife.org more fish. Puffins are powerful fly- ers! They beat their wings 300-400  www.allaboutbirds.org times a minute to achieve speeds up Updated May 2015 to 64 kph (40 mph)! Did you know?

 The Tufted Puffin is the largest puffin. It is characterized by long, straw-colored feathers Tufted which extend back from its crown. Puffins

 The Tufted Puffin nests mostly Haystack Rock is protected under U.S. in deep burrows that it digs in- Fish & Wildlife Service as a seabird to ocean cliffs. nesting colony and under Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife as a  A puffin can capture and hold Marine Garden. multiple small fish crosswise in its bill, routinely 5 to 20 fish at a time, for delivery to chicks in the nest.  Tufted Puffins form long term pair bonds to take care of their young.  Puffins may dive deeper than 24 m (80 ft.) to catch fish. 207 N. Spruce St PO Box 64  A puffin can dive for up to a Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata). minute underwater. However, Cannon Beach OR 97110 most dives last 20 to 30 seconds. Phone: 503-436-2623  Puffins can live 20 years or E-mail: [email protected] more.