Fratercula arctica
Atlantic Puffin
Vulnerable · IUCN Red List · Status: 2018At a glance
Size
25–30 cm
Weight
approx. 430 g
Lifespan
up to 34 years
Distribution
North Atlantic
Diet
sand eel, sprat, herring (small schooling fish)
Breeding season
April–August
Where does the Atlantic Puffin live?
The Atlantic Puffin breeds across the entire North Atlantic, from the Gulf of Maine and Brittany in the south to northwest Greenland, Svalbard, and Novaya Zemlya in the north. The global population is estimated at 12–14 million adult birds, over 90% of which live in Europe – Iceland and Norway alone host 80% of the world's population. Outside the breeding season, the Atlantic Puffin lives on the open sea.
What does a Puffin look like?
The Atlantic Puffin is often called the clown of the air - its most striking feature is its colorful beak. Its compact body and black and white plumage resemble that of a penguin. Atlantic Puffins belong to the auk family and are not related to penguins.
Incidentally, its beak is bright orange and enlarged during the breeding season, but paler and smaller outside of it. The same applies to its bright orange feet, which are yellowish-pale when the birds are not breeding.
What does the Atlantic Puffin eat?
The Atlantic Puffin feeds mainly on small schooling fish such as sand eel, sprat, and herring. Seasonally, crustaceans and polychaetes are also on their menu.
The Atlantic Puffin carries around 10 fish in its beak - the record is over 60 fish at once!
Why is it endangered?
The causes for the decline in Atlantic Puffin populations worldwide are complex. One of the biggest threats is climate change: rising ocean temperatures change the distribution of small schooling fish like the sand eel, which migrate to cooler and deeper waters – making them harder for the Atlantic Puffin to reach.
In addition, overfishing of these prey fish directly threatens the Atlantic Puffin's food source. Plastic pollution and bycatch in fishing nets also take their toll.
At the breeding colonies, introduced predators like rats also threaten clutches and chicks.
The combination of these factors makes the Atlantic Puffin particularly vulnerable - and shows that its protection requires a systemic shift in thinking.
In the ecosystem
This is how it all connects:
Did you know?
The Atlantic Puffin is a true diving ace - it hunts up to 60 meters deep!
Sources & References
- IUCN Red List, 2018. Fratercula arctica. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22694927/132581443
- Major, Heather L, Rivers, Joy E, Carvey, Quinn B, Diamond, Antony W. Jan 2024. PLoS One, San Francisco Vol. 19, Iss. 1
- Iona Young, 2026. Puffin aged 34 dies after being washed up in stormy weather. BBC Scotland News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyknkz2j06o
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Kurt K. Burnham, Jennifer L. Burnham & Jeff A. Johnson, Dec 2020. Morphological measurements of Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica naumanni) in High-Arctic Greenland
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United Nations, Regional Information Center for Western Europe. The much beloved Atlantic puffin in graver danger than estimated. https://unric.org/en/the-much-beloved-atlantic-puffin-in-graver-danger-than-estimated/
- Alan E. Burger, Mark Simpson, 1986. Diving Depths of Atlantic Puffins and Common Murres. The Auk: Volume 103, Issue 4, Article 35.
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