The puffin is a distinctive bird, with black and white feathers, along with bright orange beak and legs.
Sometimes known as the clown among seabirds, the puffin has become an increasingly popular emblem around the world, even though their low numbers have put them on the Red List of UK Birds of Conservation Concern. Here are some interesting facts and figures that make this lovely bird even more adorable.
Puffins are mainly found on rocky coasts and offshore islands
90% of puffins live in Europe, with 80% of those in Iceland and Norway.
10% of puffins (that’s around 1 million) are found around Britain and Ireland
Puffins have a wingspan of 47 to 63cm
Diving into the water to catch their prey, puffins usually stay within 30 metres of the water’s surface, but they can make it down to 60 metres
The most common prey for puffins is fish, such as sandeel, herring and sprat
Puffins can live for up to 20 years, which is the same lifespan as a penguin
The puffin faces many risks from nature, finding it hard to survive in extreme wet and cold weather, which makes it harder to forage at sea and can destroy their nests from flooding
If things do not change, the population of the puffin is expected to drop by up to 90% in the next 30 years
There are 4 species of puffin, the Atlantic puffin, the Horned puffin, the Tufted puffin and the Rhinoceros Auklet
Their beaks change colour with the seasons
Puffins mate for life, which could be up to 20 years
Rather than make nests, puffins dig holes between rocks on cliffs so that predators can’t reach them
A female puffin will only lay one egg each spring
Puffins are not great at flying, but are excellent swimmers
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