However, their health is becoming increasingly impacted. Tufted puffins are currently listed as a Species of Low Concern on the Continental Concern Score. During this time, they make their homes on sea shores, preferably on steep land with soil so that they can dig deep burrows for their eggs.Ĭheck out this page from the Monterey Bay Aquarium for footage of swimming tufted puffins! The only time they do go on land is during breeding season, which ranges from March to May. They can be found in breeding colonies from southern Queen Charlotte Island in British Columbia to the northern Aleutian Islands.īecause tufted puffins are seabirds, they live most of their lives on the open waters over the continental shelf. Tufted puffins cover a large area of the northern Pacific Ocean. This is similar to the bills of birds living in warmer climates, and this function can be compared to humans sweating. Their large bills help by having many blood vessels in them, and since it is separate from their bodies it gives their blood vessels room to cool down. Take off is very difficult for them and because they are heavy by bird standards, flying is pretty strenuous for them. Despite its ornamental look, they do have one interesting purpose: to stay cool! Puffins are excellent swimmers and are known for diving to depths as deep as 250 feet (76.2 m), but they are clumsy fliers. One of the puffin’s most iconic features is their comically large bills. They have a wingspan of 25-30 inches (63.5-76.2 cm), they’re around 15 inches (38.1 cm) tall, and weigh around 1.5 pounds (680 gm). Between male and female tufted puffins, they look alike.Ĭompared to other puffins, tufted puffins tend to be larger. Their bills even shed, leaving a smaller duller bill for the winter.
Their iconic tufts and faces, as well as their bills, turn grey and black after breeding season ends. Tufted puffins can be recognized by their gold tufts of hair and their white faces, and their black bodies differ from the white chests of Horned and Atlantic puffins. Tufted puffins are also called “crowned puffins” because their tufts resemble a crownĪdult tufted puffins can eat their food underwaterįratercula cirrhata - Tufted Puffin, roughly translated to “curled little brother.”
Puffins make low purring sounds when flying Limited food supply due to rising sea temperaturesĬomplications from eating plastics and microplastics
However, they are facing pressures such as: They are currently a 9 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, meaning their populations are healthy and are of low concern. During breeding season, they head for shores with grassy sloping land so they can dig burrows. Tufted puffins are seabirds and cover a lot of ground They can be seen in the Aleutian Islands as well as Hokkaido, Japan. However, they make up for their lack of recognition with flowing gold tufts of hair and bold white masks. They aren’t printed on hoodies, they aren’t being made into stuffed animals, and they aren’t associated with the state like the horned puffin is. Toporok is the namesake of one of its main breeding sites, Kamen Toporkov ("Tufted Puffin Rock") or Ostrov Toporkov ("Tufted Puffin Island"), an islet offshore Bering Island.Between horned puffins and tufted puffins, tufted puffins are not nearly as popular in Alaska.