Horned Puffin

About

The Horned Puffin is a medium-sized seabird in the Auk family, known for its distinctive orange bill with a yellow base and a small, fleshy, horn-like projection above each eye during the breeding season. It is a highly pelagic species, spending most of its life at sea, coming to coastal breeding colonies only to nest.

Size & lifespan

Length

37-41 cm (14.6-16.1 inches)

Wingspan

63-66 cm (24.8-26 inches)

Weight

610-780 g (1.3-1.7 lbs)

Lifespan

Typically 15-20 years in the wild, with some individuals living over 25 years.

Diet

Primarily small fish (especially juvenile herring, capelin, sandlance, and slender barracudina), as well as squid and marine invertebrates (crustaceans and polychaetes) during the non-breeding season.

Physical characteristics

Plumage

Breeding adults have a glossy black back and neck, with clean white underparts. The head is white with a black crown and a prominent, fleshy, black, horn-like protrusion above each eye. There is also a thin black stripe extending rearward from the eye. Non-breeding plumage is duller; the white face becomes mottled grey, and the horn above the eye is shed. Juveniles resemble non-breeding adults but have a smaller, duller bill.

Beak shape

During breeding, the bill is large and triangular, laterally compressed, with a bright orange tip, a yellow base, and a small blue-grey area at the gape. The bill darkens in non-breeding plumage, becoming smaller and duller orange-red with a grey base.

Eye color

Iris is dark, appearing black. A small fleshy 'horn' is present above each eye during breeding.

Leg color

Bright orange-red legs and feet during the breeding season, duller orange to yellowish outside of breeding.

Distinguishing features

The most defining feature is the small, fleshy, black horn-like projection above each eye during the breeding season. This, combined with its distinctive orange and yellow bill and white face, makes it unmistakable in its breeding range. The dark throat and white breast are also key.

Juvenile appearance

Juveniles are similar to non-breeding adults but have a smaller, duller, mostly dark bill (lacking bright orange/yellow), a dark greyish-brown face and throat, and no horn above the eye. Their feet are duller yellowish-orange.

Seasonal changes

Pronounced seasonal changes. Breeding adults have bright orange and yellow bills with fleshy black horns, and a clean white face. Non-breeding birds shed the horn, their bill becomes smaller and duller, and the face becomes mottled grey, often with a dark line extending from the gape.

Sexual dimorphism

Males and females are similar in appearance, though males can be slightly larger and have slightly larger bills on average.

How to identify

1. 1

   Horn above the eye

   During the breeding season, look for the small, fleshy, black horn-like projection just above each eye. This is unique to the Horned Puffin among puffins.

2. 2

   Bill coloration

   Observe the bill's bright colors: a vivid orange tip, a distinct yellow base, and a small blue-grey area at the gape during breeding plumage.

3. 3

   Head pattern

   Note the clean white face contrasting sharply with the black crown and hindneck, along with the thin black line extending backward from the eye.

4. 4

   Underparts

   Look for immaculate white underparts, which stand out against the black upperparts.

Habitat & range

Biomes

Marine, Coastal cliffs, Islands, and open ocean.

Geographic range

North Pacific Ocean, ranging from the coast of Siberia and Sakhalin Island east through the Aleutian Islands, Gulf of Alaska, and south along the Pacific coast of North America to British Columbia. Breeding colonies are predominantly in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.

Elevation range

Sea level to the tops of coastal cliffs where colonies are established.

Preferred environments

Rocky islands and sea cliffs for breeding, open ocean waters for foraging during non-breeding seasons.

Behavior

Activity time

Diurnal. Most active during daylight hours, particularly during breeding when foraging and chick-rearing are constant.

Feeding habits

Highly adapted for diving and underwater pursuit. They use their wings for propulsion underwater and their webbed feet for steering. They typically dive to depths of 10-30 meters but can go deeper. They carry multiple fish crosswise in their bills for their chicks, held securely by serrations on the bill and a specialized tongue.

Social behavior

Colonial nesters, forming large, often dense, breeding colonies on oceanic islands and coastal cliffs. Highly social during breeding, but more solitary or in small groups at sea during the non-breeding season.

Flight pattern

Strong, direct flight with rapid wing beats. They fly relatively low over the water, especially when commuting to and from colonies.

Migration pattern

Migratory, moving south from their breeding grounds in Alaska and Siberia to spend the winter months in the open waters of the North Pacific. They can be found as far south as California and Baja California during winter.

Territoriality

Exhibit territorial behavior within their breeding colonies, primarily defending their nesting burrows and immediate vicinity from other puffins and potential predators.

Breeding & reproduction

Breeding season

Typically May to August, with peak egg-laying in late May to mid-June.

Nesting habits

Nests in burrows excavated in soft soil on grassy slopes or among rocks on cliff faces. Burrows can be up to 2 meters long, often with a wider chamber at the end. Sometimes they also nest in rock crevices.

Clutch size

1 egg.

Egg description

A single, large, dull white egg, sometimes faintly marked with brown or purple.

Incubation period

Approximately 40-42 days.

Fledging period

Chicks fledge around 38-44 days after hatching, leaving the burrow at night to fly directly to the sea.

Parental care

Both parents share incubation duties and extensive chick-rearing, bringing fish back to the burrow in their bills. The chick is fed frequently until it is capable of independent flight and foraging.

Where to find

Field tips

1. Visit breeding colonies. The easiest way to see Horned Puffins is to visit their breeding colonies during the summer. They are often quite approachable on land.
2. Look for fish in bill. When observing them near colonies, watch for adults returning to their burrows with multiple small fish held crosswise in their bills – a classic puffin behavior.
3. Observe behavior on water. At sea, they might be seen floating on the water, resting, or actively foraging, characterized by their buoyant presence and sudden dives.
4. Use a scope or binoculars. Especially on cliffs and at sea, good optics are essential for observing details like the 'horn' and bill patterns.

Similar species

Quick facts

Distinctive Feature:

Fleshy horn above the eye in breeding plumage.

Bill Color:

Bright orange with a yellow base during breeding.

Nest Type:

Burrows in soil or rock crevices.

Diet Specialty:

Carries multiple small fish crosswise in bill.

Geographic Range:

North Pacific (Alaska to Siberia).

Fun facts

• The 'horn' above the eye is a temporary fleshy growth, shed after the breeding season and regrown each spring.
• Like other puffins, Horned Puffins are expert underwater 'fliers', using their wings to propel themselves through the water.
• Their brightly colored bills are like an advertising display, used in courtship and social signaling, and are shed and regrown annually similar to the horns.
• Horned Puffins often winter far offshore, sometimes hundreds of miles from land, enduring harsh ocean conditions.

Scientific classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Alcidae

Genus

Fratercula

Species

Fratercula corniculata

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