THE ANIMAL FILES

Atlantic puffin

Fratercula arctica

A bill can keep the first fish while the next one is caught.

Atlantic puffins use their wings underwater as well as in the air. They catch small fish and can carry several at once, using structures in the mouth to keep earlier catches in place. Breeding brings them to colonies, while much of the rest of life is spent offshore.[1][3]

Follow the evidence ↓
Atlantic puffin
Image: Charles J. Sharp · Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Underwater movement
Wings propel swimming[1]
Food transport
Can hold several small fish in the bill[3]
Breeding sites
Burrows or rocky crevices on islands[3]

The same wings work in two media

A puffin swims below the surface using partly extended wings and steers with its feet. In the air, relatively small wings require rapid beats. A feeding trip therefore includes changes between floating, underwater pursuit and flight, each placing different demands on the body.[1]

The mouth holds a growing catch

A grooved muscular tongue and inward-facing edges help retain small fish while more are caught. Fish for nestlings are carried back in the bill. The mouth is therefore used both for capturing an individual prey item and for transporting several items over the return journey.[1]

Colony life is seasonal

Puffins nest in island burrows and rock crevices, where both parents bring food to the young. Outside breeding, many occupy offshore waters and are often solitary. Dense nesting colonies and dispersed winter birds describe different phases rather than incompatible accounts of the species.[3]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Does a puffin colony mean puffins stay together all year?

No. Breeding colonies contrast with offshore life outside the nesting season. The date and activity of the birds matter when describing how closely they associate.[3]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why is retaining a fish useful before returning to a chick?

Reveal the explanation

Keeping earlier catches allows another small fish to be taken without abandoning the first. A single return flight can then transport several prey items rather than requiring a separate journey for each one.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Atlantic puffin (fixed revision; adapted and translated)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Fratercula arctica (identity and classification)
  3. National Audubon Society — Atlantic Puffin field guide

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

European herring gullAn English “herring gull” is not a herring specialist.Larus argentatus ↗Common swiftA nest made with materials caught in mid-air.Apus apus ↗Andean condorA huge bird can travel on rising air.Vultur gryphus ↗