Dive into the world of puffins and their closest relative as you explore four remarkable seabirds that thrive in some of the harshest marine environments on Earth. This video examines the Atlantic Puffin, Tufted Puffin, Horned Puffin, and Rhinoceros Auklet.
In this guide, you will learn:
- How to identify each bird from key features.
- How to distinguish summer and winter plumage.
- The geographical range of each bird.
- The key behavior of each bird.
- The call of each of the puffins
Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)
Appearance
A compact seabird with a black back, white underparts, and a pale gray face. The bill is large and triangular, vividly colored in orange, red, and yellow during the breeding season, becoming duller in winter. Legs and feet are bright orange. Juveniles resemble adults but have darker faces and a smaller, less colorful bill. Males and females are visually alike in plumage and size, making field separation difficult without behavioral context.
Calls
Generally quiet at sea. At breeding colonies, it produces low growling or grunting vocalizations from within burrows.
Atlantic Puffin Calls:
Habitat and Range
Found across the North Atlantic, breeding on coastal cliffs and offshore islands in places such as eastern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and northern Europe. Spends most of the year at sea.
Behavior
Strong swimmer and diver, using wings to propel underwater while hunting small fish. Nests in burrows dug into soil on grassy slopes or cliffs. Highly colonial during breeding season.
Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata)
Appearance
The largest puffin species. Adults in breeding plumage are mostly black with a white face and distinctive long yellow plumes extending from behind the head. The bill is large, deep red with yellow accents. In winter, the face darkens, and the plumes disappear. Sexes are alike in appearance, including the presence of head plumes during breeding.
Calls
Vocalizations are relatively limited but include low croaks and growls, mainly heard in breeding colonies.
Tufted Puffin Calls:
Habitat and Range
Distributed across the North Pacific, breeding from California and the Pacific Northwest through Alaska to eastern Asia. Nests on steep islands and coastal cliffs, often in burrows. Winters far offshore in deep ocean waters.
Behavior
Highly social at nesting colonies. Digs burrows for nesting. Capable diver, catching fish underwater. Outside breeding season, it lives almost entirely at sea, often far from land.
Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata)
Appearance
A stocky seabird with a black back, white belly, and pale face. The bill is thick and brightly colored with red and yellow. The defining feature in breeding season is a small black fleshy “horn” above each eye. In winter, the face becomes gray and the bill duller. Males and females appear identical in plumage and size.
Calls
Generally quiet; produces low grunts or soft growls in breeding areas, similar to other puffins.
Horned Puffin Calls:
Habitat and Range
Occurs in the North Pacific, especially around Alaska, the Bering Sea, and parts of eastern Russia and Japan. Breeds on rocky islands and cliff ledges rather than burrows.
Behavior
Nests directly on rock surfaces or in crevices. Forages relatively close to colonies during the breeding season, diving for fish. Outside breeding, it disperses widely across open ocean waters.
Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata)
Appearance
A robust seabird with dark gray upperparts and a paler belly. The bill is thick and yellow-orange, and during breeding season, it shows a distinctive horn-like projection at its base, along with thin white facial plumes. Non-breeding birds lack the horn and appear plainer. Sexes are similar in size and plumage, with no obvious visual differences in the field.
Calls
Mostly silent at sea. At nesting colonies, produces low groaning or moaning calls, often from within burrows at night.
Habitat and Range
Found across the North Pacific, from Japan and eastern Russia to Alaska and the west coast of North America. Breeds on offshore islands, nesting in burrows or crevices.
Behavior
More nocturnal at colonies than other puffins. Uses burrows for nesting. Flies low over water with rapid wingbeats and dives for fish. Often seen singly or in small groups at sea.
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References
- Lovette, I. et al. (2016) The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, handbook of bird biology. Third edition. Chichester: Wiley. [Accessed 26/03/2026]
