The puffin

The Puffin
Fratercula arctica

The puffin is a small bird of guillemot race, and it´s pretty common. Normally puffins are about 26-29 cm at length and their wingspread is about 47-65 cm. It´s a bit stubby and has got a rather large head based on its body. It mostly feeds on fish (such as; baitfish, capelin and spawn), krill and squid.
In summer the puffin stays on shallow waters. It lays eggs in grassy islands, promontories and hillsides above rock ledges or in rocky slopes beneath them. Each puffin only lays one egg a year, wich is very big. It´s nesting season is from the middle of May to the beginning of September.
The puffin is a bird of passage, and it usually stays in Iceland between April to the beginning of September. It´s most common habitaion in Iceland is in the Westman Islands, or Vestmannaeyjar (like it´s called in Icelandic), wich is a litle island by the south coast of Iceland.
In June or July the the puffin youngs crawl out of their eggs. Then the puffins start feeding their youngsters, wich can be a bit hard, because the youngsters are gready. In the middle of August, or beginning of September, the youngsters start collecting their own foods from the sea. Their favourite things to eat are: baitfish, shrimp and all kinds of krill.

A puffin young

When the youngsters begin their journey to the sea, they are unable to fly. They often get lost, and it´s very popular among children in the Vestman Islands to catch the youngsters who wonder around the island looking for the sea. To safe the youngsters the children take them to the coast, where the let them go free. The youngsters can only fly when they see the sea.

Hrafndís Brá Heimisdóttir