Let’s Learn About…Atlantic Puffins.
I think the favourite thing I learned about Atlantic Puffins is that even though they spend 7-8 months alone out in the open sea, in the summer they travel to the exact same cliff and meet with the exact same mate as the years before. I always wonder how animals are able to pick out their exact mate from a crowd of almost identical (to me) birds. Is it smell? Plumage? Nonetheless, they find each other in early spring, bond, and then produce an egg together. Isn’t that sweet?
Let’s dive in a little further.
These birds are known as the “clowns of the sea” because of their colourful bills. But, surprise, surprise, those bills are only colourful in the summer while they breed. The rest of the year they lose those colours (and much of the size of their heads) and look like completely different birds! It was once thought the same bird were two different species: the colourful Atlantic Puffin, and the dull, drab Common Murres. Those poor common murres, little did we know at the time they were secretly fabulous.
Some more fun stuff, they’re efficient, but lazy hunters. Rather than going back and forth, back and forth, delivering food to their young, they stack their catch in their bills. Their beaks can hold up to 61 fish before they head to shore. I like to imagine them as the chipmunks of the sea…although perhaps their memory is a bit better.
So why do we need to care about the Atlantic Puffin?
Well, other than how cute they are, Puffins are a vulnerable species. A good sized colony is a good indicator of a healthy environment, abundant fish populations, and good water quality. So they are a part of a great ecosystem (of course).
About 60% of the North American population breeds on just four islands, which makes protecting their habitats even more crucial.
What’s threatening them?
Overfishing: unregulated fishing encroaching on food supply. And, in some areas of the world, puffins are hunted for food—and over-hunted into decline.
Warming waters due to climate change. Warmer water impacts the food chain, from the smallest critters (phytoplankton) all the way up to top predators (like the Puffins). When the food chain is impacted at the bottom, everything else suffers.
So how can you help?
There are a variety of organizations who are actively working to protect both the Atlantic Puffin, and the environments they habit. You can donate to support their programs, volunteer, or spread what you’ve learned about puffins to your friends and family.
Here’s a few organizations to keep in mind:
Adopt a Puffin with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and get a cool certificate and calendar.
Sign Greenpeace’s petition to protect the Arctic by establishing and protecting an Arctic Sanctuary.
There’s so much more we can do today to help, but I think I’ll end it here so your head won’t explode. ;) Instead, here’s an adorable Puffin to cheer you on!
