Atlantic Puffin

Description:

The Atlantic Puffin is 26–29 centimetres (10–11 in) in length (bill 3–4 cm), with a 47–63 centimetres (19–25 in) wingspan. The male is generally slightly larger than the female, but they are coloured alike. This bird is mainly black above and white below, with grey to white cheeks and red-orange legs. The bill is large and triangular and during the breeding season is bright orange with a patch of blue bordered by yellow at the rear. The characteristic bright orange bill plates grow before the breeding season and are shed after breeding. The bills are used in courtship rituals, such as the pair tapping their bills together.During flight, it appears to have grey round underwings and a white body; it has a direct flight low over the water. The Atlantic Puffin is typically silent at sea, except for soft purring sounds it sometimes makes in flight. At the breeding colonies, its commonest call is a trisyllabic kaa-aar-aar and the birds make a short growl when startled

Habitat:

This species breeds on the coasts of northern Europe, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and eastern North America, from well within the Arctic Circle to northern France and Maine. The winter months are spent at sea far from land - in Europe as far south as the Mediterranean, and in North America

Notes:

This Puffin was spotted at Látrabjarg Cliffs in the west of Iceland (most Westerly point of Europe). Went here specifically to see puffins, It was initially a fruitless walk but then sat down and then they eventually came in from fishing - lesson learned: when birdwatching, be patient, pick an ideal spot and let them come to you.