The Tufted Puffin(Fratercula cirrhata), also known as the Crested Puffin is a seabird that is classified in the auk(Alcidae) family. The Tufted Puffin can reach lengths up to 40 cm(1’4”) and weights up to 1 kg(2 lbs); This makes the Tufted Puffin the largest species of puffin.
Physical Characteristics
During the breeding season the Tufted Puffin has a black body, a white face, a orange and yellow bill, red rimmed eyes, and two yellow plumes hanging out of the back of its head. During the nonbreeding season Tufted Puffins’ faces turn gray, their bills turn orange and gray, their head plumes shrink, and their bodies become a dull gray color.
| Length | 36-40 cm(1’2”-1’4”) |
| Wingspan | 64-66 cm(2’-2’2”) |
| Weight | 520 gm-1 kg(1-2 lbs.) |
Distribution and Habitat
Tufted Puffins are found in the North Pacific Ocean during the winter months. During the breeding season Tufted Puffins can be found in breeding colonies on offshore islands and on rocky cliffs by the sea in the North Pacific.
Breeding
Both the male and female Tufted Puffin dig the nest burrow with their feet and bill. The pair uses algae, feathers, grasses, leaves, and plant stems to line the nest. The nesting site is on a cliff edge, a rocky crevice, or in a crack in a cliff. The female lays one egg, which is incubated by both the mother and father for approximately 45 days. A Tufted Puffin egg is about 70 mm(2.76 inches) in length, and weighs approximately 90 grams(3.18 ounces). The egg is elliptical or subelliptical in shape.
Diet
Tufted Puffins eat fish, such as; lanternfish, rockfish, greenling, and sandlance. They also eat invertebrates, such as; squid and bristleworms.
Predators
The main predators of the Tufted Puffin are; the Snowy Owl(Bubo scandiacus), Bald Eagle(Haliaeetus leucocephalus), Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus), and the Arctic Fox(Vulpes lagopus).
Conservation Status
The Tufted Puffin is listed as least concern.
Fun Facts
- The Tufted Puffin can be se seen on the coasts of the Russian Pacific Coast, there it is sometimes known as Toporok, which means “small axe,” This is no doubt a reference to the shape of its bill.
- Kamen Toporkov (“Tufted Puffin Rock”) or Ostrov Toporkov (“Tufted Puffin Island”), is a small Island that is east of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Eastern Russia, it is one of the main breeding sites of the Tufted Puffin.
- Tufted Puffin burrow nests can be more than 1.5 meters (5 feet) deep.
- When in flight a Tufted Puffin can reach heights up to 46 meters (150 feet) above sea level.
