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Deepseawaters
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Sea BirdsTufted Puffin
Tufted Puffin
Common Name: Tufted Puffin
Scientific Name: Fratercula cirrhata
Description
Tufted
Puffins are one of the more heavy-set members of the Alcid
family, which makes walking on land clumsy and necessitates
a slope to give them enough lift to take off into the air.
But, underwater they are truely in their element. They appear
to "fly" through the ocean with their strong, pointed wings
as they chase after their next meal.
Tufted
puffins are one of the most beautiful auks - breeding adults
are decorated with huge orange bills, white faces and long
yellow feather tufts behind each eye, all of which contrast
with their glossy black bodies.
Diet
Diet
is the most striking detail of Tufted Puffin biology. Chicks
are fed almost entirely on tiny fish. Adults take a more diverse
diet compared to other auks that inhabit the open sea- squid
and invertebrates are particularly important.
Identification Tips
Length:
12.5 inches
Sexes
similar
Immature
similar to adult basic but bill is smaller and darker
Pelagic
bird only coming ashore to breed
Medium
to large alcid that dives for food from water surface
Very
large bill
Entirely
dark plumage
Breeds
from coastal Alaska to California, pelagic in winter
Adult Alternate
Extremely
colorful bill-yellow at base and red at tip
White,
triangular face patch
Yellow
tufts extending from behind the eye
Adult basic
Duller bill
lacks yellow plate at base
Dark face
Lacks obvious
tufts
Similar Species
The large bill separates adults from all
other alcids except other puffins, both of which have white
underparts. Juvenile Tufted Puffins are similar to Rhinoceros
Auklets, but are rounder-headed with a slightly different
bill shape.
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