Characteristics of the puffins

Posted on June 3, 2009 by cinzia

Puffins

The puffins are quite small: they may reach 30 cm length and their weight may vary from 350gr. Till 550.

Their appearance may seem funny, but nature creates everything with a specific purpose. Everything of this bird has a specific goal: the body, whose colour is similar to that of the penguin, it’s their “camouflage battledress”- the white lower parts make the puffins less visible to the sea predators, while the black upper parts camouflage him from the eyes of the birds of prey.

Its short and webbed legs, deep orange, are not that much efficient on the dry land, but are perfect helms in the water.

Its short and strong wings (the wingspread goes from 53 to 67cm) are not really the best for flying and landing, but they’re used as oars in the water.

Its triangular and huge beak is used to dig tunnels where the puffins lay their eggs, it has hooks that are very useful to carry fish (the puffin can even carry 62 fish all at once!); in winter the beak is smaller and looks faded, while in spring it clothes of a red, yellow and black corneal layer, that signals the willingness to reproduce.

Even its tongue has hooks and with the beaks it may hold the fish tightly.
Its black eye, that during the “love season” seems “maked up” with red, light blue and black colours, is a clear call for coupling.