Fascinating Puffins Collection

Puffins belong to the Alcidae (Auk) family of seabirds and there are 4 species of puffins; Atlantic, Horned, Tufted and Rhinoceros Auklet. Puffins have also been called "clown of the ocean" and "sea parrot" because of their clown-like facial markings and colorful beak (more like that of toucans). The puffin's scientific name, Fratercula arctica dates back to the last half of the 1800's. This name means "little brother of the north" in Latin. Puffins are usually 10 inches tall (18 cm) and weigh about 500 grams. Adult puffins mostly eat small fish, such as sand eels, herring, hake and capelin but their diets vary from colony to colony because of the variety of fish around the breeding islands. Puffins spend most of their lives out at sea, resting on the waves when not swimming. Their range spans the eastern coast of Canada and the United States to the western coast of Europe. Since the puffin's wings are on the small size, these eager seabirds put in a lot of work to take to the air, flapping their wings around 400 beats per minute. It all pays off in the end, as they can reach speeds up to 88 km/hr!