Iceland
Atlantic Puffin
Meet the Atlantic puffin! With its bright orange feet and colorful beak, this charming little seabird nests by the millions along Iceland's rocky cliffs.
Why is it special?
Its bright orange-and-blue beak and round black-and-white body have earned it the nickname "clown of the sea."
Iceland's Westman Islands are home to the largest puffin colony in the entire world.
How does it live?
Puffins spend most of the year alone out at sea, only coming to land to nest in the summer.
They dig cozy burrows in grassy clifftops, where they lay a single egg each year.
Amazing facts
A puffin can hold over a dozen small fish in its beak all at once.
Puffins can dive underwater as deep as 200 feet to catch fish.
Quick facts
- A puffin can hold over a dozen small fish in its beak all at once.
- Puffins can dive underwater as deep as 200 feet to catch fish.
- They flap their wings up to 400 times a minute to fly fast through the air.
- A group of puffins is sometimes called a "circus" or a "puffinry."