By: Avery Duan
Puffins are small black and white birds that live in cold northern areas. Puffins eat fish and live in colonies. They have wings, flippers, and a beak. There are three types of puffins. Atlantic puffins, horned puffins, and tufted puffins.
Puffins have white underbellies and black coats. Puffins have wings, beaks, and flippers. Puffins use their wings to fly and use their flippers to swim. Their beaks are very colorful and bright. Atlantic and horned puffins have white underbellies, white faces, black coats, and black heads. Tufted puffins have black underbellies, black coats, and a bit of white on their faces and head. Atlantic puffins are 26-29 cm long with a 50 cm wingspan. Horned puffins are 48 cm with a 60 cm wingspan. Tufted puffins are 40 cm long
with a 65 cm wingspan.
Puffins usually live in cold northern areas. Puffins make their burrows in rock crevices with their colony.
In the winter, they usually stay near the sea. In the spring, they stay on islands or rocky areas to make their burrows. Puffins stay near the water most of the time but during breeding season, they mostly stay on land. Puffin chicks stay in the nest for about one week after they hatch.
Puffins eat fish as their main meal. Puffins eat fish that are about 2-6 inches long. They usually eat, sand eels, sprat, cod, capelin, herrings, and hake. Puffins hunt fish with their sharp beaks. Puffins can fit several fish in their beaks. During breeding season, puffins stay near the land and hunt within 10 miles from the land.