Puffin Bird 海鹦

Puffins

The Puffin’s colorful beak and comical looks make it the most recognizable and popular Alaskan seabird. Adult Puffins are 14” long and weigh 1 ¼ pounds. The birds nest underground using the claws on their webbed feet to scratch out burros. Where soil is scarce, puffins nest on rocky slopes or cliff faces. Puffins live on land only when breeding, otherwise their natural habitat is the sea.

Puffins in Motion

Puffins are extremely poor flyers, yet excellent swimmers. The birds use their short powerful wings to essentially “fly” underwater while using their feet to control direction. They have difficulty becoming airborne and flap their wings at an amazing 300 - 400 beats per minute to maintain flight. Puffins also have trouble landing and often crash onto the sea or tumble onto the grass, bowling over anything in their path.

Places to See Puffin in Alaska 

Abundant in Alaska, Puffins may be seen in the Prince William Sound and many locations along the Kenai Peninsula. Explore the Chiswell Islands and Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge aboard a “captain’s choice” tour that tailors routes to wildlife activity. More than 20,000 horned and tufted puffins return every summer to Chiswell Island to make their nests.

Puffin Bird 海鹦

Aren't they adorable?? I wish they can be my pet!