Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata)
Horned Puffin

Horned Puffin

Fratercula corniculata

The Horned Puffin, Fratercula corniculata, is a striking seabird of the auk family, Alcidae. It is characterized by its black and white plumage, reminiscent of a friar's robes, and a distinctive fleshy black "horn" above the eye of sexually mature birds. The adult puffin stands about 20 cm tall, weighs roughly 500 g, and has a wingspan of 58 cm. Both sexes are similar in appearance, exhibiting monomorphic plumage.

Identification Tips

Adult Horned Puffins are identifiable by their small black horn-like extension above the eye and a dark eyestripe that extends towards the back of the head. Their cheeks are white, accented with a yellow wattle at the bill's base. The bill itself is large, red-tipped, and yellow-based. In breeding plumage, the bill's rhamphotheca is bright yellow with a dark orange tip, aiding in mate attraction. Juveniles lack the horn and have smoky-gray cheeks with a fine, black beak.

Habitat

Horned Puffins favor steep rocky slopes and cliffs, often eschewing burrows for rock crevices or shelters under rock piles for nesting.

Distribution

This species is found across the North Pacific Ocean, from the coasts of Alaska and British Columbia to Siberia. It is not migratory but winters far out at sea.

Behaviour

Horned Puffins are adept fliers, taking off by either jumping from cliffs or running across water. They are sociable birds, living and breeding in colonies, and exhibit a range of behaviors from dominant displays to submissive postures. At sea, they are agile swimmers, using their wings and webbed feet to navigate underwater.

Song & Calls

The vocalizations of Horned Puffins are low and guttural, including cooing, roaring, and grunting. The most common sound is an "arr-arr-arr" that accelerates when threatened. During mating season, they may produce a sound transcribed as "Op-op-op-op-op."

Breeding

Horned Puffins are monogamous and reach sexual maturity at five to seven years. They engage in courtship displays on water and select nesting sites in rock crevices. Both parents incubate the single egg laid per year and participate in chick rearing.

Similar Species

The Horned Puffin can be confused with the Atlantic Puffin but can be distinguished by the horn above the eye and differences in bill coloration.

Diet and Feeding

Their diet is varied, including fish, invertebrates, crustaceans, and small algae. They dive to catch prey, often hunting in the early morning and returning with multiple catches in their bills.

Conservation status

The Horned Puffin is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with an estimated population of 1.2 million individuals. However, changes in ocean temperatures have been noted to affect their reproductive rates.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Horned Puffin Fun Facts

Did you know?
A Horned Puffin can carry up to 65 individual fish at once.

Horned Puffins on Birda

Sightings

More Auks

A photo of a Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella)

Crested Auklet

Aethia cristatella
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Patricia L
Very encouraging birding app
Easy to use, fun to see progress and encouraging to receive feedback from other users.
Unbridled Discoveries
Great app for bird lovers
I love this app! It’s a wonderful way to track birding sessions, and also connect you with fellow birders. I also really like the unidentified bird section, it’s a great community tool to help figure out what a never-before-seen bird is!
Talli A
My favourite app
As a young birdwatcher who was always keen to be apart of a community but never seemed to find one, my problem was solved downloading this!!! Everyone is so friendly and just as excited to see birds as me 😁
SW H
Wonderful App
Birda is my go to app for keeping records of my bird sightings and sessions. It has fantastic information which is great at aiding identification. With all the updates that are coming in the new year, this app is something special.
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
Erna M
I really like Birda
I really like Birda. I also use other birding apps and have Birda with E-bird going at the same time.
Amylia S
Best app for any birding person!
I love this app!! I am so addicted to it when I saw it had 3 star review I was so sad! The app is awesome!! The best app for any birding person! ❤️
EandB17
Terrific App for Birders
Downloaded Birda around the time my interest in birding was sparked, and it has been a terrific app to help me (1) share my experience, (2) document my sightings, and (3) learn more about birds in general. That said, I also believe Birda is a fantastic app for birders of all experience levels. Great community!
Robred 2
Fun way to add to your birdwatching experience
I enjoy watching birds in my backyard, but this app helped me really pay attention while on vacation this summer. It was fun to add new birds to my bird watching app.
Madstherangers
A mordern game changer
Birda is an awesome app, its updated the world of birding to the modern day with a fun and easy to use app. It’s engaging and allows positive interaction with fellow bird lovers!
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.