| Puffins are coastal birds of the Auk (or Alcidae) species that belong to the bird genus of Fratercula. There are four species - the Atlantic Puffin (formerly the Common Puffin) which is the smallest of the Puffins and lives in the North Atlantic. The Horned Puffin from Alaska, so named because of its horny projections above the eyes. The Tufted Puffin, which is the largest Puffin and is also from Alaska. And the Rhinoceros Auklet, (a Puffin despite its confusing name), also from Alaska, and so named because of its Rhinoceros-like appearance. Puffins are easily noted for their black and white plumage and their brightly coloured beaks during their breeding season. The Atlantic puffin, which is more common, has a wing length of about thirty centimetres. Their face is grey, their feet orange with horny plates on their eyelids and their beaks. Their wings are black on the top and white underneath.
Puffins breed on offshore islands or coastal strips, living in large colonies and nesting on rocks and burrows. Puffins, unlike many birds, have long term partners. Both sexes build the breeding nest with the male guarding the nest all through the season. After the female lays the egg, they will both incubate it and feed it together after hatching. During incubation, the parents patch their wings, holding the egg against their brood. After about six weeks, the egg will hatch and the chick is fed by both parents.
Puffins, like most seashore creatures, eat fish and other marine organisms. Their wings are well adapted for short quick flights. These birds can catch up to ten small sized fish in a single purge. They can also swim and fly underwater and will dive in the water to get their catch. Puffins have swift paced flights, beating their wings at a speed of a hundred times per a minute. They are always flying high and low on the surface of the ocean and are a great sea spectacle when seen in large numbers. |
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