Atlantic Puffin
All About Puffins – Puffins, scientific name Fratercula arctica meaning “Little Brother of the North,” have also been given many nicknames over time due to their unique black plumage and brightly colored beaks and feet. “Clown of the Ocean,” “Sea Parrot,” and “Little Friar” are a few names that have stuck. These little birds have proven themselves to be resilient survivors in the true spirit of Maine. Please share your Maine Puffin comments. To feature your Maine business, contact us.
Maine Puffin
The puffin averages about 10 inches tall and weighs in at about 16 ounces. There are four species of Puffins. The Atlantic Puffin, or Common Puffin and can be found at various points in the North Atlantic Ocean and along the Canadian and Maine coastlines. There are also the Horned Puffin, Tufted Puffin, and Rhinoceros Auklet which can be found off the California coast and the coast of Asia. Puffins can live over 20 years and usually don’t breed until they are around 5 years old. Puffins lay only 1 egg per year among rocks and burrows that they dig, and the male and female share parenting duties. Puffins are a close-knit community that congregates together for protection from predators.
Puffins communicate by using body movements and can make low growling sounds similar to a muffled chainsaw when protecting their young. 
Puffins are true sea birds and spend most of their lives living in the open sea. They come back to land to breed and raise their young and have very particular nesting grounds. Over-hunting in the early colonization years and increased human activity near these nesting grounds had significantly diminished the Puffins’ numbers to threatened status in Maine. In 1973 Dr. Stephen Kress started a program with the National Audubon Society called Project Puffin to help the puffins re-establish a colony on Eastern Egg Rock off the mid-coast of Maine. Dr. Kress and his colleagues moved young puffins from a large nesting colony in Newfoundland to Eastern Egg Rock. The hope was that the puffins would grow to think of this as their home, and would return to raise their own young there eventually. Dr. Kress’s team placed decoy birds on the island in 1977 to lure the curious birds back to the island. The puffins started returning that summer. Today, there are 104 nesting pairs of puffins on the island from the 4 returning pairs from 1981. This very successful technique of the Puffin Project has since been used for bird re-population with more than 40 seabird species in 12 countries.
Maine visitors can learn about the puffins at the Puffin Visitor Center in Rockland, Maine. Why not visit Maine and go on a Puffin Watch Tour to see a migrating puffin colony for yourself?
PUFFIN GIFTS
- Bring a little colorful, friendly gator fun to your next pool or lake adventure with this delightful inflatable
- Room for multiple riders; constructed of durable, 12-gauge vinyl with two air chambers
- Includes repair patch kit
- Measures 45 by 80 inches (W x D)
- Includes limited 30-day manufacturer's warranty
- BURTS BEES GIFT: Give the gift of healthy, glowing skin with our Travel Size Gift Set! Not only do our natural products make the perfect stocking stuffer, but they nourish skin throughout the winter to keep your loved ones glowing on the inside & out.
- SKIN CARE PRODUCTS: Pamper from head to toe with this giftable set including 5 travel size Burt's Bees favorites: Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream, Hand Salve, Milk & Honey Body Lotion, Coconut Foot Cream and Beeswax Lip Balm.
- HAND & FOOT CARE: Pamper and moisturize dry, rough, cracked skin with our Coconut Foot Cream and Beeswax Hand Salve to leave skin feeling restored and soothed.
- BODY & FACE: For total body skin care, try our Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream, Milk and Honey Body Lotion and our Beeswax Lip Balm to leave lips, face, and body feeling moisturized and protected from the harsh winter months.
- ALL NATURAL: Made with natural ingredients, these Burt's Bees skin care trial products are formulated to condition and hydrate skin all day long.
- READY TO GIFT: This 5 piece set comes wrapped & ready to gift for your next celebratory occasion. From the Holidays to Easter, Mothers Day, Graduation or Teacher Appreciation, our Everyday Essentials Set is the perfect gift to give anytime of year!
- Includes three different tubes that will all Be a different assortment of colors
- Colors in assortment will be three of green, orange, pink or blue tubes.
- Size: 30" Diameter
- Recommended for children over 8
- Transparent tubes with smooth inner seams.
- The YETI Slim Colster is good for: 12 oz Slim Cans, Spiked Seltzers, Canned Vino, Cabin Weekends and Beach Days. Can and bottle fit may vary based on shape
- The Load-and-Lock gasket only requires a simple quarter-turn to seal the deal
- The Colsters are insulated with a double-wall vacuum so your beverages stay really, really cold
- The YETI Thick Gauge Steel makes for stronger, more durable drinkware and the Duracoat color is built for the wild with no cracking or chipping
- The YETI Slim Colster is dishwasher safe and measures: 2.25 in x 6 in
- This award-winning, #1 best-selling plushie is super soft, portable, and satisfying to flip!
- Finally, an easy (and cuddly) tool for effective emotional communication. Relieve stress by letting the Reversible Plushie tell friends, family, or coworkers how you are feeling.
- The perfect work-from-home tool to let friends and family know when not to bother you! Happy= come on in, and Angry= come back later!
- Collect all the Reversible Plushie stuffed animals, including unicorns, narwhals, cats, dogs, pandas, turtles, and more, in tons of different colors!
- TeeTurtle Reversible Plushies are a viral TikTok sensation! Your favorite creators have them, and now you can too!
PUFFIN FACTS
- There are four kinds of puffins.
- The Atlantic or common puffin is the only one found in Maine. To see a horned puffin or a tufted puffin, you would have to visit the Pacific coast. The rhinoceros auklet is also considered a type of puffin, although it does not look much like the others.
- The Atlantic puffin’s scientific name is Fratercula arctica, which means “little brother of the north” in Latin. The name can also be interpreted as “little friar,” a reference to its black and white coloring.
- Puffins may look like penguins, but they’re not related. Puffins live only in the northern hemisphere while penguins live only in the southern hemisphere (unless they are in zoos).
- Puffins eat small fish such as herring, hake, smelt, and capelin, but they have also been known to eat crustaceans in the winter.
- Puffins can drink saltwater.
- Each year, a puffin will return to nest on the same island, and often even in the same burrow in the rocks.
- Puffins can live to be 20 to 30 years old.
- Puffins can both fly and swim very well, and when they swim they use their wings to propel themselves through the water, steering with their feet.
- Puffins mate for life.
- Female puffins lay only one egg each year. A baby puffin is called a chick or a puffling.
- After the summer breeding season, puffins become less colorful.
- The great black-backed gull and the herring gull are the main natural predators of the puffin. Increasing numbers of gulls were preventing the puffins from returning to their nesting grounds, so scientists have helped protect the puffins by reducing nearby gull populations.
- Adult puffins make a noise that sounds like groaning. Young puffins tend to make a peeping sound when they are hungry.
For $100, you can adopt your very own puffin for a nesting season! You’ll get a certificate of adoption and biography and a color photo of your puffin. Adoption fees help support the biologists who study and protect these fascinating birds. Puffin adoptions make great gifts for that friend or relative who has everything!
SHOP ANYTIME AT FREE WORLD MALL
PUFFIN GIFTS
| Photo | Title | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Wild Republic Puffin Plush, Stuffed Animal, Plush Toy, Sea Animals, Gifts for Kids, Sea Critters 8 inches | $9.99 | On Sale Now |
|
G2TUP Puffin Bird Lover Gift Who Loves Puffins Birds Makeup Bag Puffin Cosmetic Bag Seabird Animal Lover Gift Birdwatching Birdwatcher Travel Bag with Zipper (Puffins White Bag) | $13.89 | On Sale Now |
|
Puffins: Life on the Atlantic Edge | $27.43 | On Sale Now |
|
Lazy One Animal Pajama Pants for Men, Men's Separate Bottoms, Lounge Pants, Bird (Stud Puffin PJ Pant, Large) | On Sale Now | |
|
Cape Shore Painted Ceramic Puffin Hanging Ornament | On Sale Now | |
|
All Or Puffin Funny Puffins T-Shirt | $19.99 | On Sale Now |
|
Vintage Puffin Bird Retro Sunset Puffin T-Shirt | $19.99 | On Sale Now |
|
Puffin Bird Adjustable Baseball Cap Trucker Hats for Men and Women, Ash, One Size | $14.99 | On Sale Now |
|
PUFFIN ROCK Oona & Baba Plush 2 Character Set | Includes Educational Card Game | Oona Approximately 32cm | Baba Approximately 20 cm | $39.99 | On Sale Now |
|
Aurora World 10.5" Puffin | $18.57 | On Sale Now |
|
AliceHitMood - Puffin Bird Mug, Bird Mug, I'm Puffin Awesome Mug, Birdwatching Mug, Birdwatcher Gift, Bird Watching Mug, Funny Bird Watcher Mug, 11oz Ceramic Coffee Mug/Cup | $7.98 | On Sale Now |
|
Puffin In The Pocket Seabird Iceland Pocket Puffin T-Shirt | $19.99 | On Sale Now |
|
Puffin Lover Always Be Yourself Unless You Can Be A Puffin T-Shirt | $19.99 | On Sale Now |
|
Decorative Hand Painted Stained Glass Window Sun Catcher/Roundel in a Puffins Design. | $44.00 | On Sale Now |
|
Lazy One Funny Animal Boxer Briefs for Men, Underwear for Men, Stud Muffin, Bird(Stud Puffin, X-Large) | $17.99 | On Sale Now |
|
3dRose LLC cst_81945_1 Soft Coasters, "Atlantic Puffin, Latrabjerg Peninsula, Iceland-Ralph H Bendjebar", Set of 4 | $20.55 | On Sale Now |
|
Puffin Bird Men Women Boys Or Girls T-Shirt | $19.99 | On Sale Now |
|
Funny Stud Muffin Vintage Retro Style Stud Puffin T-Shirt | $19.99 | On Sale Now |
|
Two Cute puffins from Iceland Zip Hoodie | $33.99 | On Sale Now |
|
Puffin Seabird Retro Vintage T-Shirt | $14.95 | On Sale Now |
- Always Be Yourself Unless You Can Be A Puffin. Then Always Be A Puffin. Cute bird with a funny saying about men and women who love puffins. Puffin Bird apparel for puffin lovers.
- Bird lover present for men and women who love puffins. Funny puffin design for bird and puffin lovers. This girl loves puffins. Funny puffin gift for kids and adults that are puffin bird lovers.
- Lightweight, Classic fit, Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem
Pet Friendly Lodging | Personals
Maine Weddings | Visit Maine Towns
Free World Mall
Country Weddings | New England Recipes
Maine Inns | Red Sox Gifts | Travel Destinations
