puffling

A puffling is the term used for a young puffin, a seabird in the genus Fratercula. The word is commonly employed by birdwatchers and researchers, particularly in North Atlantic colonies, to refer to juvenile birds during the period between hatching and their first appearances in adult plumage. Pufflings are part of the puffin’s life cycle and are distinct from adult birds, which wear brighter beaks during the breeding season.

Pufflings typically hatch in nests located in burrows or crevices along cliffs. They are fed by both parents with small fish and grow inside the nest for several weeks. When the chick is ready to fledge, it leaves the nest, often at night, and ventures out to sea. After fledging, pufflings spend varying lengths of time at sea, learning to fish and surviving on their own, before returning to land as adults to begin breeding in future seasons.

Adults reach sexual maturity after several years and then return to their natal colonies to breed. In appearance, pufflings look different from adults; they have duller, darker plumage and less colorful beaks, which become bright again during the breeding season.

Conservation and citizen science programs frequently engage with pufflings. In some regions, pufflings that stray from their colonies are rescued and released back at sea. Volunteers may tag or monitor released pufflings to study post-release movements, and public campaigns encourage reporting sightings and assisting with safe releases. Puffins and pufflings are indicators of marine ecosystem health and attract interest from researchers and the public alike.