AMNWR's Tufted Puffin
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Owner:
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USFWS_Ranger
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Released:
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012
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Origin:
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Alaska, United States
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Recently Spotted:
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In the hands of mlonie79.
This is not collectible.
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Life History and Distribution
Tufted Puffins (Fratercula cirrata) are highly decorative seabirds. Breeding adults have pronounced orange bills, legs and feet, white faces, and long golden feather tufts that curl back from each side of the head. In late summer, they lose their tufts, and the bright colors of the bill durn to a dullish reddish-brown.
This species prefers high, steep areas for nesting. Although they are about the same size of a crow, they are twice as heavy with short, stubby wings. The wings can be used for underwater "flying" in pursuit of food; this same feature makes them poor aerial fliers. Tall cliffs make for an easy take-off, and gives newly fledged puffins assistance in getting up enough airspeed for their first flight. The toes of their webbed feet have sharp claws that are used to dig burrows in the steep hillsides of their nesting areas. At rockier sites, where soil is scarce or non-existent, they nest in crevices.
Puffins, like many other species of seabirds, need predator-free nesting areas and abundant food supplies to successfully reproduce. Considering the large-scale changes in marine food chains and climate, which have been observed over the last decade, changes in prey availability are the most likely source of population regulation.
Conservation Status:
Alaska: Not At Risk N. American: Moderate Concern Global: Least Concern
Gallery Images related to AMNWR's Tufted Puffin
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Tracking History (19475.2mi) View Map