I have to admit that the Tufted Puffin is one of my favorite birds. Its clownish looks and antics are endearing to me. And, it seems completely harmless (unless you are a sand eel).
They live throughout the northern Pacific Ocean and nest mostly offshore on small islands.
They dive in the ocean for fish.
Classification:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Alcidae
Genus: Fratercula
Species: F. cirrhata
Photos:
Tufted puffin in profile
"Another shot of that wonderfully cooperative Tufted Puffin at the Alaska SeaLife Center. The Center was really nice, and I wish we’d had more time to spend there. It is largely funded out of penalties extracted from Exxon after the Valdez disaster, and does some nice educational work as well as acting as a rehab center for various kinds of sea creatures."
Photo courtesy of Unhindered by Talent
Tufted puffin
"Tufted puffin at the SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska The SeaLife Center is wonderful. Visitors can walk into the enclosed bird viewing area and see the birds, without being stuck behind glass. There is a large area for them with rocks, branches, and a deep pool to swim and dive into. This puffin hopped on a rock right next to me."
Photo courtesy of [_Vanessa_]
Tufted Puffin
"Tufted Puffins are seabirds which spend most of their life bobbing along out in the North Pacific Ocean. They are a comical looking bird, with brightly colored bill, white face, bright orange feet, and long, buff colored tufts sweeping down the back of their heads.It lives on the water, dives under the water - more that 200′ deep - flies in the air, and nests in burrows under the ground. They spend some time in loose flocks out on the ocean while looking for their mates or meeting new ones. There is a period of time where they clean out old burrows or dig new ones and while they continue to perform the rituals of courtship and mating. Much activity takes place during this time. Finally, the female lays her single precious egg and incubation begins. Few puffins are actually visible while the egg is incubating. The ones who are not setting at the bottom of their burrows spend most of their time out at sea."
Photo courtesy of സഞ്ജു | Sanju
Tufted Puffin
"A Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) which looks like a cross between a duck and a penguin. It has some trouble flying but it does really well as a swimmer."
Photo courtesy of Chris Wolters Photography
Video:
Commentary:
Jump to Comments The first and only time I saw Tufted Puffins I was so excited I grabbed the guy standing next to me (I am not so sure he was as completely enthralled as I was.) and started jumping u… Read more…
Tufted Puffin and Adak Island, Alaska Revisited
I had wanted to revisit those feelings and to share them with Stacey and to say thank you to the islands that taught me a new way of interacting with the world. These Photos of a Tufted Puffin… Read more…
The Tufted Puffin has the long eyebrows (really they are feathers but they look like long eyebrows or a slick hairdo). It is found on the West coast of the US and Canada, from California up to … Read more…
Through a study conducted by McAllister Opinion Research, focus groups in Prince Rupert, Queen Charlotte City, Port Hardy and Vancouver revealed that the Tufted Puffin is one of the most appea… Read more…
Shearwater’s Journeys: TUFTED PUFFIN STAR: SEPTEMBER 27, 2008 TRIP …
The singular highlight of the day was TUFTED PUFFIN that leader, Linda Terrill spotted sitting on the water. Everyone on board had great views, and the photographers were delighted. This repre… Read more…
First up is the Tufted Puffin. Sure enough, they look like a puffin. That massive bill is pretty unmistakable. But this species has those interesting pale yellow plumes that drape back over the… Read more…
