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Horned Puffin
last update: Mar 04, 2009 03:17 PM
Latin name: Fratercula corniculata
Population: approx. 1 million individuals
Cites classified: Least Concern
Where found: North Pacific Ocean from British Columbia to Alaska and southwest to the Sea of Okhotsk and the Kuril Islands
Age/ life expectancy: 15-20 years
Wingspan: 56-58 cm
Length: 36-41 cm
Weight: 483-648 g
Mating/Breeding: Breeds on rocky islands in burrows, rocky cavities, or among rocks. Usually only one egg that, when it hatches, is fed by both parents
Eggs: white with small dark spots
Hibernation: spends winters far out to sea in the north Pacific
Hunting Habits: surface dive using its wings to swim
Feed on: fish, squid, other invertebrates
Predators: arctic fox, red fox, and the Norway rat
Colour/Body: Smallish, picturesque bird with a large, triangular orange and red bill and bright orange legs and feet. In the summer, it has a small, fleshy, dark horn above each eye. Outer layers of the bill are shed in late summer, leaving a smaller, drab-colored bill. The legs and feet fade to a pale fleshy colour. The wings and back are black with white underparts.
Interesting Trivia:
- The Horned Puffin carries small fish crosswise in its bill and delivers them to its nestlings. One individual was observed carrying 65 fish at once.
