Puffin

Tufted puffins are birds with a very interesting name. They are so called because of their colourful and amazing appearance. They have dark brown plumage, white cheeks and long light yellow "pigtails" on their heads. Their beak is bright yellow and their feet are orange-red. If you look at it, you might think it looks like a little Tufted puffin!

Where Tufted puffins live

Tufted puffins live off the northern shores of a large ocean called the Pacific Ocean. If you want to find their lodges, you'll have to walk from California to Japan.

What Tufted puffins eat

Tufted puffins love fish, but they also eat different marine animals such as barnacles, urchins, and sponges. They are able to dive deeply and swim underwater using their wings. They can bring a lot of fish home for their chicks.

Changing feathers: the magical transformation of tufted puffins

Tufted puffins know how to change their outfit!

In summer, Tufted puffins are bright and beautiful: they have white cheeks and light yellow pigtails on their heads. And their beak is bright red.

When summer ends, the Tufted puffins fly over the big sea and begin to change their feathers. They fall out, and for a while the birds cannot fly. Their brightly coloured outfit also changes: their cheeks turn black, their "pigtails" disappear and their beaks become less bright.

But spring comes, and the magic continues! The Tufted puffins' beak becomes bright again, their cheeks become white, and the "pigtails" grow back. They are back to being as beautiful as they were!

So if you see a Tufted puffin not in his summer outfit, don't feel bad. He's just undergoing his magical transformation!

Tufted puffin babies

They can live in large families, almost like a village, and there can be lots of birds! Some Tufted puffins like to make nests in soft soil, while others like to nest in rocky places.

When a Tufted puffin has an egg, both parents look after it. When the baby hatchling hatches, it has soft grey or black downy plumage. At first, the chicks cannot move well and agilely, but as they get older, they begin to explore their home and follow their parents.

When the chicks grow up, they leave their home in the evening and go to the sea. And after that, they start their own life.

Now you know a little more about the wonderful and unusual birds called puffins!