Puffin Facts for Kids
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Puffins are fascinating and cute birds that live in the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Kids can learn some interesting facts about puffins in this article.
Physical Appearance
Puffins are small-sized birds with black and white feathers. Their signature feature is a bright orange beak with a curved shape. During the breeding season, they also have brightly colored triangular plates on their beaks. Puffins’ eyes are distinctive too, with a white circle around the eye, which helps them navigate in low light conditions.
Diet
Puffins are carnivorous and mostly feed on small fish such as herring, capelin, and sand eels. They can catch several fishes in one dive, thanks to the unique design of their beaks. Puffins store small fish in their bills, creating a bulge in their throats called the “puffin’s puff.”
Breeding
Puffins are monogamous and mate for life. They breed in large colonies, usually on remote islands or cliffs, where they build burrows. Both parents share the incubation duties, with the male puffin taking the first shift. Pufflings, the baby puffins, hatch after about six weeks and leave their burrow when they are around 40 days old.
Migration
Puffins are excellent swimmers and can fly at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour. They migrate to spend the winter in the open sea and return to their breeding grounds in the spring. Puffins can cover large distances during migration and are known to travel up to 1,000 miles in one trip.
Conservation
Puffins are considered a vulnerable species due to habitat loss, pollution, and overfishing. Several conservation measures, including the creation of marine protected areas, reducing pollutants, and education campaigns, have been put in place to protect puffin populations.