The puffins: nice birds, with weird names

Posted on May 25, 2009 by cinzia

The scientific name of the puffin is Fatercula Artcitca, which means “small friar of the Arctic”. Linneo, in 1758, gave these birds this name: he got inspired by the black and white feathering, similar to the habit of a Dominican friar.
In Italian, these birds are called “Pulcinella di Mare” as they remind the famous Carnival mask of Naples.
In Europe the sea parrot is known also with other names: “Atlantic puffin” in English, “Macareux Moine” in French, “Frailecillo” in Spanish.