Puffin

The Atlantic Puffin is a seabird easily recognised by its large, triangular bill, which is striped with bright red, yellow and blue during the breeding season. Adults have black backs, white bellies, and a pale grey face with dark markings around the eyes. In winter, their bill becomes less colourful. They stand upright on orange webbed feet and are about thirty centimetres long. Puffins breed in groups on coastal cliffs and islands around Britain and Ireland, Iceland, and Norway. The largest groups are found in Scotland, Wales and northern England. When not breeding, they spread out across the North Atlantic. They make their nests in burrows on grassy cliff tops and rocky slopes, often using the same places year after year. These skilled divers catch small fish underwater, using their wings to swim. They have a special ability to hold several fish crosswise in their bills at once, which is a unique feature of this bird.