Tufted Puffin
Fratercula cirrhata (Pallas, 1769)
774 gWeight
The tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata), also known as crested puffin, is a relatively abundant medium-sized pelagic seabird in the auk family (Alcidae) found throughout the North Pacific Ocean.
Busiest months: June and September · Most records: United States, Canada, Russia
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: June and September · Most records: United States, Canada, Russia
Tufted Puffin has been recorded at 22 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 5 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Southeast Farallon IslandUnited States6,599 records
- St. Paul IslandUnited States5,459 records
- GambellUnited States4,413 records
More places
- Pt. Pinos – seawatch onlyUnited States263 records
- Neah Bay – town and bay onlyUnited States32 records
- Clover PointCanada22 records
- Pt. PinosUnited States18 records
- Rocky Point Bird ObservatoryCanada17 records
- MeynypilgynoRussia16 records
- Discovery ParkUnited States14 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata), also known as crested puffin, is a relatively abundant medium-sized pelagic seabird in the auk family (Alcidae) found throughout the North Pacific Ocean.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Tufted Puffin?
The Tufted Puffin weighs around 774 g.
Where does the Tufted Puffin live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic, North America: Arctic to temperate northern Pacific coasts: northern Chukotka, Sea of Okhotsk, Sakhalin, Kamchatka, Kuril and Commander islands (eastern Russia), off southeastern Hokkaido (northern Japan), Bering Sea islands, Aleutian Islands, western, southern Alaska to central California. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Russia.
When is the best time to see the Tufted Puffin?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in June and September (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Tufted Puffin endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Tufted Puffin as Least Concern.
What does the Tufted Puffin eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Tufted Puffin in?
It belongs to the family Auks (Alcidae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 774 g
- Habitat
- Ocean
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- On the water surface
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 194 mm
- Tail
- 57 mm
- Bill
- 56 mm
- Tarsus
- 33 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic, North America: Arctic to temperate northern Pacific coasts: northern Chukotka, Sea of Okhotsk, Sakhalin, Kamchatka, Kuril and Commander islands (eastern Russia), off southeastern Hokkaido (northern Japan), Bering Sea islands, Aleutian Islands, western, southern Alaska to central California
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Auks Alcidae
- Genus
- Fratercula
Other birds in the genus Fratercula
Atlantic PuffinFratercula arctica
Horned PuffinFratercula corniculata
Rhinoceros AukletCerorhinca monocerata
Cassin's AukletPtychoramphus aleuticus
Least AukletAethia pusilla
Whiskered AukletAethia pygmaea
Crested AukletAethia cristatella
Parakeet AukletAethia psittacula
Long-billed MurreletBrachyramphus perdix
Kittlitz's MurreletBrachyramphus brevirostris
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗
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