Atlantic puffin: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Atlantic puffin lives – recorded in 17 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Fratercula arctica
Group	Waders, gulls, terns & auks
Status	Vulnerable (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	17 countries
Continents	Europe, North America
Mass	376 g (adult weight)
Height	11 in (≈0.28 m)
Class	Bird
Order	Charadriiformes
Family	Alcidae

Where does the Atlantic puffin live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Atlantic puffin in 17 countries and territories across Europe and North America. Wikidata gives its range as: Africa.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

How big is an Atlantic puffin?

Wikidata records the following for the Atlantic puffin: mass 376 g (adult weight); height 11 in (≈0.28 m).

Is the Atlantic puffin endangered?

The Atlantic puffin’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Vulnerable” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Atlantic puffin?

The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a bird in the order Charadriiformes and the family Alcidae, genus Fratercula. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Atlantic puffin

The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica), also known as the common puffin, is a species of seabird in the auk family. It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean; two related species, the tufted puffin and the horned puffin, are found in the northeastern Pacific. The Atlantic puffin breeds in Russia, Iceland, Ireland, Britain, Norway, Greenland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and the Faroe Islands, and as far south as Maine in the west and France (Brittany). It is most commonly found in the Westman Islands, Iceland. Although it has a large population and a wide range, the species has declined rapidly, at least in parts of its range, resulting in it being rated as vulnerable by the IUCN. On land, it has the typical upright stance of an auk. At sea, it swims on the surface and feeds on zooplankton, small fish, and crabs, which it catches by diving underwater, using its wings for propulsion.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Atlantic puffin (revision 1375007520), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q26685 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).