Atlantic Puffin

Fascinating facts about the Atlantic Puffin

• A single Atlantic puffin can travel 7,700 km (4,800 mi) in eight months, moving from the northern Labrador Sea to the mid-Atlantic and back again. Such long-range journeys spread the birds across an ocean area of 15×10^6-30×10^6 km², giving each bird over 1 km² of space and making them hard to study.
• Adult birds need about 40 fish a day, each roughly 7 cm long. Their beaks can hold a row of fish thanks to parallel-hinged mandibles and inward-facing serrations, letting them catch several small fish in one dive. This efficient feeding fuels rapid chick growth, after six weeks the fledgling is ready to leave the burrow and head to sea for years.
• More than 90% of Atlantic puffins live in Europe, with 4,770,000-5,780,000 breeding pairs making up 9,550,000-11,600,000 adults, and Iceland alone hosts 60% of the world's population.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Atlantic Puffin

As the Atlantic Puffin emerges from the crashing waves, its tuxedo-like plumage glistens with seawater, a striking silhouette against the rugged coastline. With wings beating at a furious pace, it hurtles through the air, its distinctive black back and white belly a blur as it navigates the turbulent skies with effortless agility. In its underground burrows, a treasure trove of secrets awaits, for this charismatic bird is a master of adaptation, its very existence a testament to the enduring power of resilience in the face of an uncertain future.

Atlantic Puffin photographed on Feravox

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