Puffins, the Parrot of the Sea
It is August on the coast of Iceland, and the air is filled with
the deep garbled growls of hundreds of puffins. The social birds
have come to shore for the short breeding season, and the rocky
banks are dotted with their squat, football-shaped bodies. From
the ocean bursts a shiny five-year-old male carrying a dozen small
herring in his beak. Flapping his wings mightily, he rises from
the waves to the rocky cliffs where a hungry chick waits silently
in a burrow hidden in the rocks. The puffin circles the sky above
the burrow several times, looking out for herring gulls, which sometimes
wait ashore to steal a puffin’s catch. But the coast is clear and
the puffin swoops down, entering the dark burrow with a flurry.
Instantly the chick springs to life, demanding its meal with tiny
squeals. Downy gray and plump, with a sliver of a beak, the chick
hardly resembles its striking black and white father. Large and
colorful beaks, which will fall off after the season is over, have
given these arctic birds their nicknames—the sea parrot.
It was once questioned whether the pelagic puffin was a cross
between a bird and a fish. Awkward and clumsy-looking on land, it
certainly appears more adept in the sea, where its short wings effectively
propel it through the water after small herring and sand eels. Its
webbed feet function as a rudder, allowing the bird to maneuver
sharp turns. Puffins can fly, and will actually beat their wings
100-400 beats per minute to become airborne. But because of the
effort required to take flight, puffins will nest on cliffs where
they more easily swoop down into the ocean. Puffins fly low to the
water, and can reach speeds up to 55 miles per hour.
A puffin’s diet comes from the icy depths of the ocean, and an
average dive can last twenty or thirty seconds, or more. With their
specialized beaks, puffins are able to hold several fish at a time.
Their raspy tongues hold fish against spines on their palate while
they open their beak for more. An average catch would be 10-12 fish,
but one puffin reportedly brought 62 fish in its beak at one time!
Waterproof feathers provide protection from the chill of even the
coldest waters in the arctic region. Even its coloration lends to
its survival in the sea. The puffin’s dark coloring on its back
make it difficult for predators to distinguish it from the dark
waves as it floats on the ocean, while from below its white underside
masks it from ocean enemies. This deceptive coloring is called counter
shading.
Around the world it is estimated that 12-15 million puffins exist
as three species: The horned puffin, named for its horny projections
above its eyes; the tufted puffin, which has conspicuous straw-colored
feathers extending from its crown during mating season; and the
Atlantic puffin, the only puffin to live on the Atlantic Ocean,
which has a steel-blue triangle at the base of its beak. In the
1800s over-hunting obliterated a native population in Maine, which
has since been restored. They are not presently threatened. Puffin
colonies are found breeding off the coasts of Alaska, Canada, North
America, and North Asia; although Iceland is the breeding quarters
of the largest population of puffins. Coastlines are filled with
thousands of breeding pairs during the summer months. Puffins are
monogamous, and while companions may part for the winter, which
they spend out on the open sea, they usually return to the same
partner, and even the same nest.
The rigorous mating ritual begins while the pair is still at sea.
Breeding pairs engage in billing each other, skypointing (flying
straight up), and strutting. By the time birds reach the shore,
partnerships are well-established. The male digs the burrow using
his beak to cut into the soil and his feet to shovel the rocks and
other loose material away. Ideally, the burrow will be 2-3 feet
long and protected from predators by rocks. Here the female lays
one egg per year. Together, the pair incubates the egg, each taking
a turn holding it under one wing and pressing it against its body.
Cooperating in this way, both birds are able to leave the nest to
feed.
When the egg hatches 40-53 days later, the parents continue to
share responsibility for the chick. Feeding occurs four to five
times a day, and after the first day of life the chick can be left
alone in the burrow to wait for its next meal. The chick remains
in the burrow about 40-55 days, whereupon it waits until evening
before independently approaching the opening of the burrow for the
first time. The fledgling sets out to sea on its own, where it will
live for the next two years. Puffins reach sexual maturity at 3
years old, but will not generally return to their nesting grounds
to mate until 4-5 years old. Puffins live long lives of 20 years
or more.
Historically humans have used the puffin for meat and clothing
(its skin is waterproof and warm when worn with the feathers turned
inside), but hunting is generally discouraged today. In some countries
it is forbidden by law. Meanwhile, man has come to value puffins
as indicators of ocean health. By observing the condition of the
puffin population, scientists determine whether over-fishing or
harmful pollution is taking place. Oil spills threaten puffins by
de-waterproofing their feathers, making them vulnerable to cold
temperatures. Another negative impact on puffin colonies has been
the unintentional introduction of rats and foxes to summer nesting
areas.
About the Author
Emma Snow has always adored wild animals. Emma provides content
for Wildlife Animals http://www.wildlife-animals.com
and Riding Stable http://www.riding-stable.com.
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