Crested puffin, Tufted puffin, Crested puffin
The tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata ), also known as crested puffin, is a relatively abundant medium-sized pelagic seabird in the auk family (Alcidae) found throughout the North Pacific Ocean.It is one of three species of puffin that make up the genus Fratercula and is easily recognizable by its thick red bill and yellow tufts.
Di
DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
Ca
CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
Pi
PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
Se
SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
Se
SeabirdSeabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, b...
Pe
Pelagic birdsPelagic birds live on open seas and oceans rather than inland or around more restricted waters such as rivers and lakes. They feed on planktonic cr...
Pr
PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Bu
BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
Na
NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Co
CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, b...
Gliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust and is employed by gliding animals. Birds in particular use gliding flight to m...
Mo
MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
So
SocialFl
FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
Mi
MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
T
starts withTufted puffins are colorful seabirds, also known as “parrots of the sea” that spend winters in the open ocean and return to shore only to breed. They are found throughout the North Pacific Ocean and are easily recognizable by their thick red bill and yellow tufts. These tufts appear annually on birds of both sexes as the summer reproductive season approaches. Their feet become bright red and their face also becomes bright white in the summer. During the winter feeding season, the tufts molt off and the plumage, beak, and legs lose much of their lustre. Juveniles resemble winter adults, but with a grey-brown breast, shading to white on the belly, and a shallow, yellowish-brown bill.
Tufted puffins breed from British Columbia, throughout southeastern Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands, and throughout the Sea of Okhotsk. During the winter, they spend their time almost exclusively at sea, extending their range throughout the North Pacific and south to Japan and California. Tufted puffins typically select islands or cliffs that are relatively inaccessible to predators, close to productive waters, and high enough that they can take to the air successfully. The ideal habitat is steep but with a relatively soft soil substrate and grass for the creation of burrows.
Tufted puffins are highly gregarious birds; they live in large colonies and even feed in groups. They are active during the day and spend their time hanging around burrows or foraging. Despite being awkward on land, Tufted puffins are powerful fliers. They fly compactly and quickly traveling between nesting and foraging grounds. Feeding areas can be located far offshore from the nesting areas. These birds spend half of their rime on the water, paddling along the surface with their feet. They hunt by diving at depths of up to 100 feet (30 meters) and search out a school of fish; once the prey is spotted, puffins dive in pursuit. They can store large quantities of small fish in their bills and carry them to their chicks. Tufted puffins are usually silent and produce a relatively small number of sounds, mostly low in volume.
Tufted puffins are carnivores (piscivores). They feed on a variety of fish and marine invertebrates, however, their diet varies greatly with age and location. Adult puffins largely depend on invertebrates, especially squid and krill. Nestlings at coastal colonies are fed primarily fish such as rockfish and sandlance, while nestlings at colonies closer to pelagic habitats are more dependent on invertebrates.
Tufted puffins are monogamous and form long-lasting pair bonds. In order to attract the female, males perform courtship displays that include skypointing, strutting, and billing. These birds nest in burrows dug with the bill and feet or in a crevice between rocks. The nest inside the burrow is well-lined with vegetation and feathers. The female lays a single egg, usually in June, and both parents incubate it for about 45 days. When the chick is born it is covered in down, can walk, but stays in the nest between 40 and 55 days. During this time both parents feed and protect their young until it fledges. The chick usually leaves the nest at night and walks, runs, and flaps its way to the sea. It will spend almost 2 years at sea and at the age of 3 to 4 years, it will return on land to breed.
The main threats to Tufted puffins include habitat loss, climate change and severe weather, oil spills, entanglements in fishing nets, the use of pesticides, human disturbances during breeding and introduced predators. Like other seabirds, puffins suffer greatly from plastic pollutants at sea which they ingest mistaking it with prey items and then starve to death.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Tufted puffin is more than 3,500,000 individuals. National population sizes include less than 100 breeding pairs and 50-1,000 wintering individuals in Japan and 10,000-1 million breeding pairs 1,000-10,000 wintering individuals in Russia. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...