Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)

A Cadaveric Study Using Computed Tomography for Measuring the Ocular Bulb and Scleral Skeleton of the Atlantic Puffin (Aves, Alcidae, Fratercula arctica)

“…The puffin's bill is large and exhibits orange tones, which fade to less intense colors after the breeding season. Notably, there is no distinct sexual dimorphism, although males are generally slightly larger than females and their colors become more conspicuous during the mating season [2][3][4][5][6].…”

“…They primarily nest on isolated islands and cliff sides, ranging from Brittany and the Bay of Fundy (Canada) to the Arctic sea ice on both sides of the Atlantic. Puffins return to their colonies in March to nest during April and May and then leave in July to return to the open sea [5,8,9]. They are monogamous birds, typically selecting the same partner and nesting location in successive breeding periods.…”

“…They are monogamous birds, typically selecting the same partner and nesting location in successive breeding periods. Upon returning to the breeding area, males primarily engage in nest construction, which involves shallow burrows, rocky ledges, and crevices, sometimes, incorporating plant material [5,10,11]. Females, after laying a single egg per season, dedicate themselves to incubating it and subsequently feeding the chick [12][13][14].…”

“…; 0-71%). Adult puffins are also piscivorous, with varying amounts of polychaetes and crustaceans in their diet [5,14,15].…”

Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica fishing in a freshwater lake to feed its chick

“…waters. These factors help explain why the total breeding population in Svalbard is only estimated at about 10,000 pairs, spread over approximately 60 different colonies (Anker-Nilssen et al 2000;Strøm 2006a). Most colonies are situated on the west coast of Spitsbergen, the largest island in Svalbard, where they usually breed in crevices high up in the least accessible (for Arctic Foxes Vulpes lagopus) parts of the highly eroded hillsides typical of the Svalbard landscape, but Puffins also breed in boulder screes on some of the few small islands spread along that coast (Strøm 2006a).…”