The puffin is a distinctive seabird belonging to the auk family, often called the “sea parrot” due to its brightly colored beak during summer. This stocky bird is adapted for diving and “flying” underwater, spending its life in the cold waters of the Northern Hemisphere. Puffin location depends heavily on the specific species and the time of year, as their geographical distribution is strictly divided between the world’s two largest northern oceans.
The Three Puffin Species and Their Global Ranges
Puffins are categorized into three recognized species, each confined to a specific geographical basin, creating a clear split between Atlantic and Pacific populations. The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is the only species found in the North Atlantic Ocean, breeding along the coasts of eastern North America and northwest Europe. Its breeding range stretches from the Canadian Maritimes, including Newfoundland and Labrador, across to Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and the British Isles. Iceland hosts approximately 60% of the global population.
The other two species, the Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata) and the Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata), are native to the North Pacific Ocean. The Horned Puffin’s range extends from British Columbia and Alaska westward across the Bering Sea to the Siberian coast of Russia. The Tufted Puffin shares much of this territory but has a slightly more eastern and southern distribution, breeding from Washington State, through the Aleutian Islands, and west to the Kuril Islands.
Seasonal Habitat: From Open Ocean to Coastal Colonies
A puffin’s location is highly seasonal, shifting dramatically between breeding and non-breeding habitats. For the majority of the year, all puffins are pelagic, living on the open ocean far from land. During these months, they rest and forage on the water, ranging widely across the North Atlantic or Central Pacific, sometimes traveling as far south as North Carolina or California.
When the breeding season begins (late spring through mid-August), puffins return to established coastal colonies to nest. They select remote, rocky islands or steep coastal cliffs that offer protection from land predators. The Atlantic and Tufted Puffins generally excavate deep nesting burrows in the soft turf or soil of grassy slopes.
The Horned Puffin, by contrast, often avoids digging burrows, preferring to nest in natural crevices, under rock piles, or within cliff faces. This use of islands and cliffs provides the necessary elevation for the birds to take flight and allows easy access to productive, shallow fishing waters close to the colony. After the single chick is raised, the entire colony departs, returning to their solitary life at sea.
Major Viewing Destinations
To view these seabirds, visiting during the summer breeding season (generally May to August) provides the best opportunity to see them on land. In the North Atlantic, the Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar) in Iceland host the world’s largest Atlantic Puffin colony, with over a million birds nesting annually. Other major Atlantic viewing destinations include the Farne Islands (United Kingdom) and Skomer Island (Wales), which host significant colonies visible from shore or via boat tours.
On the North American side, islands off the coast of Maine, such as Eastern Egg Rock, are accessible viewing locations. Further north, the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve in Newfoundland, Canada, contains the largest colony in the western Atlantic, estimated at more than 260,000 pairs.
Moving to the Pacific, Alaska is the primary viewing location, as its coastlines and islands support large colonies of both Tufted and Horned Puffins. Kenai Fjords National Park offers boat tours where both species can be observed during the summer. Tufted Puffins can also be seen further south in Washington State, though colonies there are generally smaller and more scattered.