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Sea Bird

Atlantic Puffin

Fratercula arctica

The Atlantic Puffin is a charming seabird known for its colourful beak and distinctive black and white plumage, commonly found along the UK coastline during breeding season.

Overview Identification Report sighting
At a glance

Quick field summary

The Atlantic Puffin is a charming seabird known for its colourful beak and distinctive black and white plumage, commonly found along the UK coastline during breeding season.

Best seenSpring and summer
HabitatSea
DietFish
StatusVulnerable
Identification

How to identify Atlantic Puffin

Compact seabird with black upperparts and white underparts; large triangular orange, yellow and grey bill; orange legs and feet; black crown and nape with white face patch.

  • Bright tri-coloured bill
  • White face patch
  • Orange webbed feet
  • Black crown and back
  • Distinctive honking call
Where to see it

Habitat, range and timing

Common around UK sea cliffs and islands such as Skomer, Farne Islands, and Lundy during breeding season.

Breeds on coastal cliffs and offshore islands of the North Atlantic; winters at sea in the Atlantic Ocean.

  • Farne Islands
  • Skomer Island
  • Lundy
  • Foula
  • Bass Rock
Spring Puffins arrive at breeding colonies along rocky coasts, often seen in burrows or gathering at sea nearby.
Summer Peak breeding period with puffins actively feeding chicks and visible along coastal cliffs and islands.
Autumn Most puffins leave breeding sites to spend months at sea, making them less visible near shore.
Winter Spend winter dispersed over the open Atlantic Ocean, rarely seen near the UK coastline.
Behaviour

Song, movement and nesting

Puffins are mostly silent at sea but produce a low growling call from burrows during the breeding season.

Nest in burrows dug into grassy cliffs or in crevices among rocks; lay a single egg each year.

Gallery

Photos and plumage details

Compare

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Use shape, plumage and habitat together to separate close matches in the field.

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Questions

Common questions

Where do Atlantic Puffins nest?

They nest in burrows on coastal cliffs and islands.

What do Atlantic Puffins eat?

Mainly small fish such as sand eels.

When is the best time to see Atlantic Puffins in the UK?

From spring through summer at breeding colonies.

Are Atlantic Puffins endangered?

Yes, they are currently classified as Red status due to population declines.

Can Atlantic Puffins fly long distances?

Yes, they spend the winter flying over the open ocean far from land.

Bird Watching UK