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The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a seabird in the auk family. It is a pelagic species that feeds primarily by diving for fish. Its most obvious characteristic is its brightly colored beak during the breeding seasons. Also known as the Common Puffin, it is the solitary puffin species which is found in the Atlantic Ocean.
MorphologyThe Atlantic Puffin is 28–34 cm in length, with a 50–60 cm wingspan, with the male slightly larger than the female. This species is mainly black above and white below, with a pale grey face and red-orange legs. During flight it appears to have grey round underwings and a white body; it has a direct flight low over the water. The characteristic bright orange bill plates grow before the breeding season and are shed after breed as the pair tapping their bills together.[1]
Range and distributionThis species breeds on the coasts of northern Europe, Faroe Islands, Iceland and eastern North America, from well within the Arctic Circle to northern France and Maine. The winter months are spent at sea far from land — in Europe as far south as the Mediterranean and in North America to North Carolina. Reproductive biologyAtlantic Puffins are colonial nesters, using burrows on grassy cliffs. They will also nest amongst rocks and scree. Male puffins perform most of the work of clearing out the nest area, which is sometimes lined with grass, feathers or seaweed. The only time spent on land is to nest, and mates are found prior to arriving at the colonies. The Atlantic Puffin is sexually mature at age 5-6. The species is monogamous and has biparental care. A single-egg clutch is produced each year, and incubation responsibilities are shared between both parents. Total incubation time is around 39-45 days, and the chick takes about 49 days to fledge. At fledging, the chick leaves the burrow alone, and flies/swims out to sea, usually during the evening. Contrary to popular belief, young puffins are not abandoned by their parents (although this does occur in some other seabirds, such as shearwaters). Synchronous laying of eggs is found in Atlantic Puffins in adjacent burrows (Ehrlich, P., Dobkin, D., Wheye, D. 1988.) Diet
Population concernsThe population of these birds was greatly reduced in the 1800s when they were hunted for meat and eggs. More recently, populations have declined due to predation by large gulls and the inadvertent introduction of rats, cats, dogs and foxes onto some islands used for nesting. A reintroduction project titled Project Puffin on the coast of Maine has helped give the Atlantic Puffin a boost. Since the Atlantic Puffin spends its winters on the open ocean, it is susceptible to human impacts such as oil spills. If an accidental oil spill occurs and pelagic birds are exposed, toxins are inhaled or ingested which leads to kidney and liver damage. This damage can contribute to a loss of reproductive success and damage to developing embryos (Ehrlich, P., Dobkin, D., Wheye, D.. 1988.) On the island of Lundy the number has decreased dramatically in recent years (the 2005 breeding population is estimated to be only two or three pairs) as a consequence of depredations by black rats (recently eliminated) and possibly also as a result of commercial fishing for sand eels, the puffins' principal prey. On the other hand, recent breeding has been very successful on the Isle of May (in the Firth of Forth) of eastern Scotland. Numbers have been increasing by about 10% per year in recent years. In the 2006 breeding season, about 68,000 pairs were counted on the island. However, as promising as this is, Iceland has many times as many breeding pairs with the Puffin, or Lundi in Icelandic, being the most populous bird on the island. Natural PredatorsPredators of the Atlantic Puffin include the Great Black-backed Gull, which will catch a puffin in flight, or pick off one separated from the colony. Herring Gulls are not capable of hunting adult puffins, but take eggs or recently hatched chicks, and will also steal fish. Environmental FactorsThe Atlantic Puffin and other pelagic birds are excellent bioindicators of the environment because they are near the top of the food chain in the ocean. Since the primary food source for Atlantic Puffins is fish, there is a great potential to bioaccumulate heavy metals from the environment. Heavy metals enter the environment through oil spills, such as the Prestige oil spill on the Galician Coast; or from natural or anthropogenic sources. In order to determine the affects on pelagic birds such as the Atlantic Puffin, quantifiable measurements must be taken. In the field, scientists obtain contaminant measurements from eggs, feathers or internal organs. Since the Atlantic Puffin gets the majority of its food from diving it is important that there is an ample supply of resources and food. Different environmental conditions such as tidal cycle, upwellings and downwellings contribute to this abundance. In a study titled Hydrographic features and seabird foraging in Aleutian Passes it was observed that Atlantic Puffins were associated with areas of well-mixed water below the surface. This study implies that impacts of global warming leads to an alteration of tidal cycles. If these cycles are modified too much then it is probable that the Atlantic Puffin will have a difficult time locating food resources. Another consequence of an increase in temperature is that since it can only live in cool conditions it would limit the range of the Atlantic Puffin. Trivia
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