Puffins are a lot like penguins: among the most beloved, iconic and recognizable seabirds – yet occupying the opposite ends of the planet in some of the most remote regions of the Earth. So seeing either of them in the wild is a magical travel experience.
Unlike tuxedoed penguins with their mostly monochrome coloring, puffins are often called the “clowns of the sea” for their vivid, almost carnival mask-like countenance that livens up their pudgy, black-and-white bodies – not to mention their endearing facial expressions. That’s not all that makes these seabirds unique.
Puffin Particulars
Three Species of Puffins: We think of puffins as being residents of the North Atlantic, and the Atlantic puffin is the standard-bearer of the species. It can be found as far north as the Arctic Circle. But other types, including the tufted puffin and horned puffin, are found in the North Pacific.
- Spend Most of Life at Sea: Puffins are “pelagic” and only return to land to breed—usually just a few months per year. Their breeding grounds seem ill-chosen: often rocky, seaside cliffs that look inhospitable and not the best place to raise a family!
- Unusual Nesting Habits: Puffins dig burrows in grassy clifftops or use rock crevices to lay a single egg. They’re surprisingly good diggers, using their beaks and feet.
- Expert Swimmers and Flyers: Puffins “fly” underwater by flapping their wings to pursue small fish. They can also fly in the air at up to 55 mph, beating their wings 400 times per minute – defying their shape, which doesn’t look very aerodynamic at all!
- Beak Can Hold Multiple Fish: Thanks to a special hinge in their beak and spiny tongue, puffins can carry 10 or more fish crosswise at once without dropping any—ideal for feeding chicks.
- Those Signature, Colorful Beaks: During breeding season, puffins display vividly colored orange, yellow, and blue beaks. But – fun fact - the color fades in winter, as the outer layers shed. So breeding season is the best time to see the puffin in full color, the way you imagine them.
- Nicknames: In addition to “Clowns of the Sea,” puffins are also dubbed “Sea Parrots” for those technicolor beaks.
- Monogamous and Loyal: Puffins often reunite with the same mate at the same burrow year after year.
- Conservation Challenges: In some areas, puffin populations are declining due to climate change, overfishing (reducing their food supply), and invasive predators like rats on nesting islands.
*** Of course, if we are fortunate enough to get to see puffins in the wild, we want to make sure our travel experience doesn’t harm the puffins – especially since our best chances of seeing puffins are when the birds come ashore during the critical breeding season.
Where to See Puffins in the Wild
Best Time for Puffin-Viewing: Late spring to early summer (May–August) during the breeding season when they come ashore.
Where to Find Atlantic Puffins
- Iceland: Home to the largest puffin population in the world. Try Látrabjarg cliffs in the Westfjords or the Westman Islands.
- Scotland: Particularly on the Isle of Staffa, the Treshnish Isles, and Fair Isle.
- Ireland: Skellig Michael and the Cliffs of Moher.
- Norway: Runde Island is a great spot.
- Newfoundland, Canada: Witless Bay Ecological Reserve near St. John's is a top destination.
Where to Find Pacific Puffins (Tufted and Horned Puffins)
- Alaska: Best seen in Kenai Fjords, Kodiak Island, and the Pribilof Islands.
- British Columbia, Canada: Haida Gwaii and coastal areas.
- U.S. Pacific Northwest: Oregon’s Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach is a well-known nesting site.
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By: Lynn Elmhirst, cruise / travel journalist and expert.
Images: Getty
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