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Puffin From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For other uses, see Puffin (disambiguation). Puffin

Atlantic Puffins (F. arctica) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Charadriiformes Family: Alcidae Genus: Fratercula Brisson, 1760 Species F. arctica F. cirrhata F. corniculata For prehistoric species, see article text. Puffins are any of three auk species (or alcids) in the bird genus Fratercula (Latin: little brother — probably a reference to their black and white plumage, which resembles monastic robes) with a brightly coloured beak in the breeding season. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among rocks or in burrows in the soil. The Tufted Puffin was formerly placed in the genus Lunda.

All puffin species have large beaks. They shed the colourful outer parts of their bills after the breeding season, leaving a smaller and duller beak. Their short wings are adapted for swimming with a flying technique under water. In the air, they beat their wings rapidly (up to 400 times per minute[1]) in swift flight, often flying low over the ocean's surface. Similarities in body shape and colour between puffins and penguins are due to convergent evolution.

Contents [hide] 1 Taxonomy 2 Description 2.1 Species details 3 Breeding 4 In culture 5 Footnotes 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Taxonomy Puffins are the genus Fratercula of the auk family Alcidae. This genus was created by French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760,[1] and has three generally recognised extant species:

Atlantic Puffin, Fratercula arctica Horned Puffin, Fratercula corniculata Tufted Puffin, Fratercula cirrhata The Rhinoceros Auklet Cerorhinca monocerata was formerly sometimes included in the genus Fratercula,[2] and some authors place the Tufted Puffin in the genus Lunda. [3] The puffins and the Rhinoceros Auklet are closely related, together comprising the subfamily Fraterculini.[4]

The genus name is derived from Latin and means "little brother", a reference to the black and white plumage, which resembles monastic robes. The English name "puffin" was originally applied to the Manx Shearwater which (in 1652) was known as the Manks Puffin. Puffin is an Anglo-Norman word (Middle English pophyn or poffin[5]) for the cured carcasses of nestling shearwaters. The Atlantic Puffin acquired the name much later, possibly because of its similar nesting habits.[6] The name has been applied to the related Razorbill in Ireland.[5]

This genus probably evolved in the northern Pacific, like most lineages of auks. However, at least 2 undescribed prehistoric species are known to have lived in the western Atlantic comparatively soon after the genus' emergence:

Fratercula sp. 1 (Yorktown Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA) Fratercula sp. 2 (Yorktown Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA) Another extinct species, Dow's Puffin (Fratercula dowi) was found on the Channel Islands of California until the Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene.[4]

[edit] Description The puffins are stocky, short-winged and short-tailed birds, with black upperparts and white or brownish-grey underparts. The head has a black cap, the face is mainly white, and the feet are orange-red. The bill appears large and colourful during the breeding season. The colourful outer part of the bill is shed after the breeding season, revealing a smaller and duller true bill beneath.[7]

[edit] Species details Species of Fratercula in taxonomic sequence Common and binomial names Image Description Range Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) 28–34 cm (11-13.5 in) in length, with a 50–60 cm (20-24 in) wingspan. Coasts of northern Europe, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and eastern North America, Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata) 27 cm (10.5 in) long. Coasts of Siberia, Alaska and British Columbia, Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) About 35 cm (15 in) in length with a similar wingspan. British Columbia, throughout southeastern Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands and throughout the Sea of Okhotsk.

[edit] Breeding Several current or former island breeding sites are named as Puffin Island. The male Atlantic Puffin builds the nest and exhibits strong nest-site fidelity. Both sexes of the Horned Puffin help to construct their nest. Horned Puffin burrows are usually about 1 meter (3 feet) deep, ending in a chamber, while the tunnel leading to a Tufted Puffin burrow may be up to 2.75 meters (9 feet) in length. The Atlantic Puffin burrow is usually lined with material such as grass, leaves and feathers but is occasionally unlined. The eggs of the Atlantic Puffin are creamy white but can be occasionally tinged lilac.

Atlantic Puffin, Lundy, UKPuffins form long-term pair bonds or relationships. The female lays a single egg, and both parents incubate the egg and feed the chick. The incubating parent holds the egg against its brood patch with its wings. The chicks fledge at night. After fledging, the chicks spend the first few years of their lives at sea, returning to breed about five years later. Puffins in captivity have been known to breed as early as three years of age. [2]

Like many auks, puffins eat both fish and zooplankton, but feed their chicks primarily with small marine fish several times a day. The puffins are distinct in their ability to hold several (sometimes over a dozen) small fish at a time, crosswise in their bill, rather than regurgitating swallowed fish. This allows them to take longer foraging trips, since they can come back with more food energy for their chick than a bird that can only carry one fish at a time. In August, children from Iceland walk around the neighbourhood with boxes to help puffins that land in dangerous spots.