The horned puffin is a small, black and white seabird that breeds along the northern Pacific coast from Alaska to British Columbia. It spends its winters further south off the coasts of Alaska, Washington, and sometimes California. The puffin eats small fish and marine invertebrates that it can carry in its colorful bill. It lives in coastal burrows and mates for life, with pairs producing one egg each spring that takes over a month to hatch.

1. Horned Puffin

2. TaxonomyKingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordate Class: Aves Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Alcidae Genus: Fratercula Species: F. corniculata

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4. Physical DescriptionThe puffin is a small duck like bird. Its body is black and has a white belly and face. Its bill is orange, red, and yellow. There is a small “horn” above their eyes. Its feathers are waterproof.

5. Geographical Range and Migratory RangeThe puffin breeds from northern Alaska to British Columbia. It spends its winters off the coast of Alaska and Washington. When migrating, stragglers can make it as far south as California.

6. DietPuffins eat small fish and marine invertebrates. Sand eels, herring, and capelin. They can carry more than one fish in their bill at one time.

7. Predators of the Horned PuffinFoxesGullsLarge Predatory Birds

8. Interesting FactPuffins can live up to twenty years in the wild.

9. Reproduction cycleTheir breeding period is April and the young are born from mid-May onwards. They mate for life. The female of a mating pair of puffins typically lays only one egg in their burrow. The egg is laid between May and June and is incubated for approximately 40 days. Once the egg hatches, both parents tend to and feed the chick for a period of about 50 days until it is ready to set off to sea on its own.

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