Atlantic Puffin (close up)

Description:

The Atlantic Puffin is a species of seabird in the order Charadriiformes. On land, it has the typical upright stance of an auk, with a black crown and back, pale grey cheek patches, white underparts, broad red and black beak and orange legs.

Habitat:

The Atlantic Puffin is a bird of the colder waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. It breeds on the coasts of north west Europe, the Arctic fringes and eastern North America. The largest colony is on Iceland where 60% of the world's Atlantic Puffins may nest. Other major breeding centres include the north and west coasts of Norway, the Faroe Islands, the Shetland and Orkney Islands, the west coast of Greenland and the coasts of Newfoundland. Smaller sized colonies are also found in the British Isles, the Murmansk area of Russia, Novaya Zemlya, Spitzbergen, Labrador, Nova Scotia and Maine. Islands seem particularly attractive to the birds for breeding as compared to mainland sites.