Adaptations
Short wings beat rapidly in air and act as flippers underwater. Dense waterproof plumage, strong feet, and a laterally compressed bill suit life split between ocean feeding and burrow nesting.
Behavior and daily life
Puffins dive after small fish and may carry several crosswise in the bill. Breeding pairs use burrows or rock cavities, and both adults participate in incubation and feeding a single chick.
Conservation
Current profile labelVulnerable
Food availability, warming seas, extreme weather, fishing interactions, invasive predators at colonies, and pollution can affect breeding success. Conditions differ sharply among colonies across the North Atlantic.
Backward-pointing structures inside a puffin's mouth help it hold several small fish while continuing to forage.
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