Cute, clumsy and comic, the Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) or "lundi" as they are called in Iceland, is one of Iceland's best-loved birds. Although known for its goofy antics, crash landings and frantic fluttering, the puffin is actually quite graceful underwater and was once mistakenly thought to be a kind of bird-fish hybrid.
Though it may look like a Penguin, the Puffin is a member of the Auk family. It is a seabird, spending most of the year at sea. It nests in complex burrows, multi-room apartments carved in the cliff or land near the ocean. For four to five months, it moves on land to breed. Monogamous, it generally keeps the same mate and burrow from year to year.
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Sixty percent of the world's population of Puffins breed in Iceland. In July they show up in huge numbers, up to 10 million breeding pairs, around the island. In late August, they suddenly flock to the sea. They will return again in late April or early May of next year.
FUN FACTS
1. Puffins fly underwater with their wings, using their feet as a rudders.
2. Puffins dive deeper than 25 m (80 ft) to catch fish.
3. When two Puffins kiss, they rub their colorful beaks together.
4. There are a series of backward-pointing spines in its mouth, which allow them to hold food in place while more is being caught. A puffin was once seen with more than 60 little fish in its bill at one time.
5. In the air, puffins are powerful flyers, beating their wings 300-400 times a minute to achieve speeds up to 65 kph (40 mph).
We are looking forward to seeing lots of these fascinating little birds with their colorful beaks, complex burrows and endearing mating rituals.
-Berry
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