Puffin Nesting (Behavior, Eggs + Location)

Atlantic Puffin (Arctic cockroach) is one of three species of seabirds in the seabird family. It is the only species in the Atlantic Ocean and ranges from the northeastern United States to Europe and east to the Kara Sea off the coast of Russia.

Have you ever wondered where these adorable seabirds nest and raise their young?

Atlantic puffins nest in underground burrows, either by digging themselves or in crevices and holes under boulders in rocky areas. These unique birds nest on islands or above sea cliffs and raise a chick each summer.

Atlantic puffins are monogamous birds, usually pairing with the same partner year after year. Depending on latitude and climate, breeding birds will return to their nesting colonies in spring or summer.

Tragically, hunters destroyed many Atlantic puffin breeding colonies in the 19th century. However, these birds often return to nest in the same colony they were born in, a habit that helps conservationists reintroduce them to old abandoned colonies.

Atlantic puffins lay only one egg per year and start breeding when they are four or five years old. Such a slow rate of reproduction means that puffin parents need to be extra careful, as both parents work together to build the nest, keep the eggs warm and feed the growing chicks.

Much remains to be discovered about the nesting habits of Atlantic puffins. Read on to learn all the fun facts about these colorful ocean clowns.

Atlantic puffins emerge from underground nesting burrows on Skommer Island, UK

nest location

Atlantic puffins nest in specific locations in the North Atlantic Ocean. These groups range from northern New England to Greenland in the west, and to the west in Great Britain and Russia. Read on to learn more about the Atlantic puffin’s breeding range.

Where do puffins nest?

Puffins breed in colonies on islands and coastal cliffs that can support tens of thousands of breeding pairs. Most of the world’s Atlantic puffins breed in Iceland, but they also nest closer to home on islands off the coast of Maine.

Atlantic puffins also breed in several colonies on islands around the UK and above mainland sea cliffs. These birds live year-round in the east, but fly well and make long-distance migrations in the summer, breeding in their habitats in northeastern Canada and Greenland.

Do puffins nest in the same place every year?

Atlantic puffins typically return to the same nest in the same colony year after year. However, if they become too crowded, the chicks will move to new colonies. Adults are reunited with the same partner year after year, although they may spend the remainder of the year separated.

How tall is a puffin nest?

Atlantic puffins nest on the ground, but they often choose sites on top of sea cliffs.

nesting colony of puffins

Nest Appearance

Puffins do not build typical cup or bowl shaped nests. These seabirds nest underground, away from bad weather and most predators. Read on to learn more.

What is a puffin’s nest like?

Puffin nests are often invisible because they are built at the end of tunnels or in crevices under rocks. The self-digging nesting tunnels look somewhat like rodent burrows, with entrances 5 to 7 inches (13 – 18 cm) in diameter.

How big is a puffin nest?

Puffins can dig extensive nests. Most tunnels are about two and a half to three and a half feet long, but some can reach an impressive fifty feet (15 meters).

Puffin chicks emerging from their nesting burrow (Puffling)

phenology

Puffins are spring/summer breeding birds. They nest in a wide range of latitudes in temperate and arctic regions where summers are short and the rest of the year can be very cold. Read on to learn more about Atlantic puffin nesting times.

What time of year do puffins nest?

Atlantic puffins start nesting at different times, depending on the local climate. For example, in Maine, nesting begins in March, while in the northern colonies, nesting can begin as late as mid-June. The same pattern was seen across the Atlantic, with puffins starting to nest in Wales as early as March.

Read on to find out when Atlantic puffins arrive and begin nesting in various parts of their breeding range:

• Scotland: April
• Norway: April
• Iceland: possible
• Greenland: possible
• Svalbard: possible

How long do puffins nest?

Atlantic puffins return to their nesting grounds and start digging or repairing old nests. The nesting process, from the arrival of the adults to the departure of the chicks, lasts about 14 weeks.

Atlantic Puffin Nesting Schedule:

• Nesting/Repair: 2 – 3 weeks
• incubation: 36 – 45 days
• fledgling: About 40 days (up to 83 days in some cases)

What month do puffins lay eggs?

Puffins lay their eggs from late April to mid-June. The timing of their arrival at the breeding colony and spawning depends on the location of the colony.

Puffin looking out of nesting burrow

nest

Puffins usually dig their own nests, which is not uncommon among seabirds. Read on to learn more.

How do puffins build their nests?

Atlantic puffins use their beaks and feet to dig their own nesting burrows. In some cases, they use the burrows of other seabirds or mammals. They tear open the dirt with their large, colorful beaks, and shovel back with their feet.

The tunnels are usually several feet long and terminate at the nest chamber. Adults collect soft material to spread over the area before laying eggs. On rocky ground, birds will nest under boulders or in cracks and crevices that provide shelter.

What do puffins use to build their nests?

Puffins often build a soft nest inside their tunnel. They build nests out of feathers, grass, and other plant material.

Do male or female puffins build nests?

Male and female Atlantic puffins work together to dig their nests. However, males tend to do more digging.

Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) being dug out of its underground nesting burrow by a hidden puffin, bathing on the ground, Skomer Island, UK

puffin eggs

Atlantic puffins are small, dainty birds, even though they hatch from relatively dull eggs. Read on to learn more about puffin eggs.

What do puffin eggs look like?

Atlantic puffin eggs are pure white, sometimes with some faint to distinct brown spots. The average size of puffin eggs varies slightly from population to population, but most eggs are about 2.5 inches (63 mm) long and 1.7 inches (44 mm) wide.

How many eggs do puffins lay in total?

Atlantic puffins lay only one egg per year.

Do male puffins sit on eggs?

Male and female Atlantic puffins share the hatching task. Parents take turns, with long shifts. Each bird may spend one to two and a half days on the eggs, although they leave briefly to stretch their wings and relax.

Atlantic puffin eggs

Baby puffin chick emerges from burrow to meet returning parents

fledgling and parental care

Atlantic puffins only lay one egg per year, so they tend their chicks with great care. For the first nine days after hatching, both parents take turns incubating the babies. Read on for more fun facts.

When do puffins leave the nest?

Atlantic puffin chicks leave the nest and become independent at 38-44 days old. At this age, they weigh about 70 percent of their adult body weight and fly directly out to sea to avoid land predators such as foxes and birds of prey such as peregrine falcons.

How many litters do puffins have?

Atlantic puffins are monobred. During the annual nesting season, they lay only one egg.

Puffins repurpose beaks full of sand eels to feed chicks

Atlantic Puffin Nesting FAQs

Do puffins abandon their nests?

Sadly, some puffins will abandon their nests and even their chicks when food sources become scarce. They may also leave their nests when disturbed, so birders and tourists should observe these birds from a safe distance and not get too close.

Do puffins nest on the ground?

Atlantic puffins are ground-nesting birds. However, they build their nests underground rather than on the ground. Puffins burrow in the soil or nest in crevices in rocky areas.

Where do puffins nest at night?

Atlantic puffins usually sleep on the surface of the water at night. However, they may inhabit dry land near the fringes of the colony. A puffin parent will incubate eggs or hatch chicks overnight during nesting season.

How to Attract Nesting Puffins?

Atlantic puffins only nest in established breeding colonies. Conservationists have successfully reintroduced the chicks to the islands of the Gulf of Maine by introducing and rearing the chicks from other islands. Many of these birds returned when they matured, and the colony is now functioning normally again.