A medium-sized bird that belongs to the Alcidae family. The female does not differ from the male, even in size. It is characterized by dense black and white plumage and a bright, large, wide and thickened triangular beak. It is grayish at the base with yellow markings, but red along its entire length and across the tip. The beak becomes wider with age.
50
450
The wingspan
grams
The body weight
centimeters
Because of its bright and unusual coloring, the dead end was nicknamed the «sea parrot»
It is characterized by dense black and white plumage and a bright, large, wide and thickened triangular beak. It is grayish at the base with yellow markings, but red along its entire length and across the tip. The beak becomes wider with age. The eyes of birds are small and have a triangular shape. Around them there are skin formations of red or gray color.
fluff
rainbow beak
wings
webby feet
Bird species
Tufted Puffin
This species is characterized by tufts of long yellowish feathers behind the eyes.
Horned Puffin
Externally, this species of bluntbill is similar to the Atlantic bluntbill. The beak is shorter and thicker at the base than that of the Atlantic blunt.
Atlantic Puffin
A distinctive feature is flattened on the sides of a triangular beak.
Habitat
Puffin lives on the coasts. Most of the population is in the northwestern part of Europe. The world's largest colony of Tupik birds nests on the shores of Iceland and accounts for 60% of the entire population.
It occupies the Faroe Islands, the Shetland Islands and the islands of the Arctic zone. In North America, in Witless Bay Reserve, there is a large colony (about 250 thousand pairs) of Tupiks. Also large colonies live on the shores of Norway, in Newfoundland, in western Greenland.
What they eat?
These seabirds can be omnivorous. But still their diet consists mainly of food of animal origin. They mainly feed on sea creatures.
Fish
Mostly deadheads hunt sand lance, capelin, herring, sprat and sand eel. In 24 hours one adult is able to catch about four dozens of fish, with their total weight ranging from 100 to 300 grams. In one go, a stumpbill catches about 10 fish, but there was a record of 62 fish dangling from its beak.
When hunting, puffins swim underwater using their wings, using their legs as a rudder. They swim fast, can reach great depths and hold their breath for a minute. This helps them catch their prey.
Shrimp
Clams
A stalemate dives for its prey to a maximum depth of 68 meters, but mainly feeds at a depth of about 25 meters. A stalemate can stay underwater for 20-30 seconds at a time.
Plankton
During the winter months, these birds dilute their fish diet with plankton.
HOW they live?
Puffins dig burrows with their paws and beak in places where there is a thick layer of peat.
29
YEARS
Life expectancy
In order to find out how long the birds live, ringing is used. However, experts cannot give a single-digit number. The fact is that the ringing of such a feathered bird does not give an exact result.
A special ring is fixed on the paw, which is actively used by the bird when digging holes and hunting under water. Therefore the ring either flies off the paw or the inscription on it is erased. Ornithologists believe that these birds are capable of living more than 29 years.
POPULATION
The European population numbers 9.55−11.6 million mature individuals and the global population is estimated at 12−14 million. Over the next three generations (until 2065), the European population is projected to decline by 50−79%. This is a dangerous trend given that Europe accounts for over 90% of the global population
Birds are hunted for excitement. In most countries where birds live, it is illegal to hunt them, especially when they are rearing chicks. In the rest of the countries, hunting is allowed seasonally. Currently, puffins are fished in the Faroe Islands, Iceland and some areas of Norway.
Who threatens the birds?
The greatest enemy of the bird is the seagull. There are few natural enemies of kuliks. However, the most vicious and harmful enemy is considered to be large gulls, which engage in kleptoparasitism - taking their prey from others. Seagulls not only collect discarded and dead fish, but also take live prey from smaller birds, destroying nests.
VS
Stop stealing my food and destroying our nests!
I won't stop! This is the meaning of my being.
Nikulina Anastasiia
Author of the website
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