General Description: The most striking puffin feature is the large colorful bill. Early sailors dubbed them the "sea parrot" from their stout bodies, short wings, and their orange or red webbed feet which are placed far back on their body. Both males and females have the same markings. Horned puffins are the species most often depicted on souvenirs. In summer they have a black back and neck with white on the sides of the head and on their breast. The white breast is so distinctive that in one Eskimo language puffins are called katukh-puk, meaning "big white breast." The Horned Puffin has a small, fleshy, dark "horn" above each eye in the summer. The beak is bright yellow with a red tip. Adults are about 14 inches (36 cm) long and weigh about 1 1/4 pounds (600 gm). Tufted Puffins are named for tufts of feathers that curl back from each side of the head. They have dark, black bodies and white faces. They have orange feet,and their bills are red and yellow. Puffin bills are larger and more colorful in the summer nesting season than in winter. Both species shed the bills outer layers in late summer, which leaves a smaller, drab-colored bill. Also, their bodies are not as distinctly marked with white but tend to be dusky gray.
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Christine brand 28 May 2006
one of the sweet most adorable creatures yet...GREAT shot!Gary Glass 20 Mar 2006
You have done a great job of capturing the essense of the puffins Corry.very nice work on the facesHomayra Amirzada 13 Mar 2006
What I never see these types of birds before and I want to thank you for sharing this with usJerry 12 Mar 2006
What a love bird and capture!stephanie atlee 11 Mar 2006
Awesome work...they are adorable