Atlantic Puffin

Description:

This puffin has a black crown and back, pale grey cheek patches and white underparts. Its broad, boldly marked red and black beak and orange legs contrast with its plumage. It moults while at sea in the winter and some of the bright-coloured facial characteristics are lost, with color returning again during the spring. The external appearance of the adult male and female are identical, though the male is usually slightly larger. The juvenile has similar plumage, but its cheek patches are dark grey. The juvenile does not have brightly coloured head ornamentation, its bill is narrower and is dark-grey with a yellowish-brown tip, and its legs and feet are also dark. Puffins from northern populations are typically larger than in the south and these populations are generally considered a different subspecies.

Habitat:

In the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia.

Notes:

We were on a whale watching trip when we spotted these sweet birds! It turned out to be the near highlight of the trip. The trip was in a Zodiac so rather hard to keep balance and take the picture at the same time. I am not too unhappy about how it came out.