Specie's Page                                               Atlantic Puffin - Medium Divers

Atlantic Puffin:

UK Status: Summer visitor, only coming ashore to breed.

Habitat: This is a bird of the open ocean, during the autumn and winter months it is found around the UK on the open sea east of Scotland, and east of Norfolk and Suffolk. In the breeding season they inhabit cliffs, rocky outcrops and rocky islands like Skomer.

Breeding: In the spring mature birds come ashore to breed, usually to the colony where they were born. Puffins nest in burrows that they dig out, they often return to the same burrow year in, year out. Young birds return to the colony about a month after mature birds, and do not nest until the following years. Puffins are sexually mature at about four to five years of age. Puffins in more southerly colonies lay eggs in their burrows during April, in more northern colonies it can be as late as June. It's single large egg is oval in shape and is an off white colour, though soon becoming covered in muddy marks by the parent birds activities.

Comment: This bird is also known as the Common Puffin, it is of concern and endangered on the UK. The Puffin is probably the most loved, and most photographed seabird there is.