Atlantic Puffin

Hello! I am an Atlantic Puffin, but some people call me the 'clown of the sea' because of my big, colorful beak that gets extra bright in the spring. My story began on a bright spring day in 2005 when I hatched from my egg. I was tucked away safely in a cozy burrow my parents had dug on a windy cliff in Iceland. As a chick, I was covered in soft, fluffy feathers and was called a 'puffling.' Life in the burrow was simple and warm. My world was the soft earth around me and the sounds of the sea crashing far below. My parents were amazing providers. They would take turns flying far out over the waves, diving deep into the chilly water to catch tiny, silvery fish like sand eels. They would return with their beaks full, bringing me mouthfuls of delicious food to help me grow strong. I spent my days eating, growing, and waiting for the moment I would be ready for my own ocean adventure.

My first great adventure came in the late summer of 2005. It was time for me to leave the burrow and learn to fly. This was a very risky moment, because predators like the Great Black-backed Gull are always watching for young puffins. To stay safe, I waited for the dark of night. Under the cover of darkness, I waddled to the edge of the cliff, took a deep breath, and launched myself into the air for the very first time. For the next few years, until about 2009, the vast Atlantic Ocean was my home. I didn't return to land at all during that time. I am built for a life at sea. My feathers are waterproof, which keeps me warm and dry in the cold water. My wings, which are a bit short for soaring high in the sky, are perfect for propelling me through the water. I use them to 'fly' underwater, chasing after fish with amazing speed. I also have a neat trick with my beak. It has special grooves that allow me to hold a whole row of fish at once, which is very useful for carrying food back to the nest.

After years of living on the open ocean, I felt a strong pull to return to the place where I was born. Around 2010, I flew back to my home colony in Iceland. It was just as I remembered, but now I was seeing it as an adult. The cliffs were a bustling, noisy, and exciting world, filled with thousands of other puffins calling to each other, flying in and out from the sea, and tending to their burrows. It was here, in this lively place, that I found my mate. Puffins often stay with the same partner for their entire lives, and we have a special way of showing our bond. We greet each other by rubbing our colorful beaks together. It’s our way of saying we are a team. Together, my mate and I worked hard to dig our own burrow, creating a safe and sheltered home where we could get ready to raise our very first puffling. We were ready to start our own family.

Raising my own pufflings and watching them take their first flight into the night has been the most important part of my life. It is how we continue the circle of life for our colony. But our lives are facing new challenges. In recent years, the ocean water has been getting warmer, which makes it harder for us to find the small fish we rely on for food. Thankfully, there are kind humans who are working to protect us. Their efforts began long ago. Back in 1973, they started a program called Project Puffin, which helped bring puffin families back to old nesting islands where they had disappeared. When scientists noticed our numbers were dropping around 2015, the work of these conservationists became even more important. My story is a small part of the great story of the ocean. We puffins are a sign of a healthy sea. When we are thriving, it means the ocean is too. By helping us, people help the entire ocean world. I can live to be about 20 years old, and I'm still flying over the waves today!