Creature Feature

Atlantic Puffin

Background  Pelagic bird  About 1 ft tall  Characteristic bright orange bill plates grow before the breeding season and are shed after breeding  Feeding areas are often located 60 miles offshore from the nest  Dive for fish up to 200 feet

Reproduction  About 95% of the Atlantic puffins in North America breed around Newfoundland's coastlines  Colonial nesters, using burrows on grassy cliffs

 Male puffins perform most of the work of clearing out the nest area  The only time spent on land is to nest  Mates are found prior to arriving at the colonies, and mating takes place at sea  Mates are monogamous  Produce 1 egg per year

Conservation  Population was greatly reduced during the 19 th Century due to hunting  Listed as a species of least concern by the IUCN

 Other problems for puffins: Introduction of rats, cats, dogs and foxes onto islands used for nesting Contamination by toxic residues Drowning in fishing nets Declining food supplies Climate change  Susceptible to human impacts (i.e. oil spills)  Increased predation by gulls and skuas