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Have You Ever Wondered What Puffins Do All Day Long? Check Out These Live Puffin Cams To get Glimpse Into Their Habits…
We gathered a wide variety of Puffin live streams so you can watch them all day long. Take a look at these live cams of Puffins on this page. We also have live streaming cams for other birds like Hummingbird live cam, Ospreys, and Eagles.
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Please keep in mind some of the live streams may be off-line, depending on the time of year and the owner. If one of the live streams is off, there is a link to its youtube channel so you can watch the live cam there instead.
If you happen to notice a link here that needs to be fixed, please let me know and help me maintain the quality of this live Puffin cam stream page. Also, let me know if you have suggestions for other live cams to add here. Feel free to email me with any comments or concerns about this page. Click here to email me.
Live Puffins Cam
This live puffin cam is brought to you by EXPLORE. Watch these puffins breed and raise their young on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. See these puffins in their daily life just off the coast of Maine.
Tune into the EXPLORE nature cams to learn and watch more live, raw, and unedited footage of puffins and other animals.
Click here to check out their YouTube channel.
Interesting Facts About Puffins
- Puffins typically live up to 20 years old. The oldest known puffin lived to 36 years old.
- Puffins can fly and swim. They are much better swimmers than flyers though. When flying, puffins have to frantically flap their wings to stay in the air. Also, to start flying, they need a running start.
- 60% of the world’s puffin population is in Iceland.
- Some people refer to puffins as a “sea parrot”.
- During the breeding season, puffins have a bright orange beak. The rest of the season their beak becomes smaller and duller in color. Their beak grows back each breeding season.
- Puffins often form lifelong pairs and return to the same breeding grounds each season.
- Puffin chicks are called pufflings.
- Male and female puffins look exactly the same, but male puffins are usually just a tiny bit larger than the females.
- Puffins are the national bird of Labrador and Newfoundland in Canada.
- The best time to see puffins in April through August. During this time, they come onto land for their breeding season. The rest of the year they spend their time out in the ocean.
- There are three types of puffins, the Atlantic Puffin (most common), the Horned Puffin, and the Tufted Puffin.
Puffins in Maine
Watch this live puffin cam, located 21 miles off the coast of Maine on Seal Island. This live puffin cam shows the comings and goings of a pair of puffin parents. You can see the parents leave to find fish for their young puffins who are nested on this island. At the end of summer, you will be able to watch the young puffins leave the nest for the first time.
If you love watching animals in their natural environments, check out all the live streams on the EXPLORE youtube channel. There are live cams of puffins and many more animals!
Click here to check out their YouTube channel.
Puffin FAQs
- How big are puffins? Puffins are pretty small, they are about 10 inches tall. They weigh a little over a pound.
- What do puffins eat? Puffins mainly eat small fish such as capelin, hake, and herring. If fish are not available, puffins will eat crustaceans. Young puffins are fed fish by their parents. Puffins can carry 10 fish in their mouth at the same time!
- Where do puffins live? Puffins live in Canada, the Northern United States, Western Europe, Northern Russia, Iceland, and Greenland. They spend a lot of time in the ocean and on the coast.
- Can puffins swim? Yes, puffins can swim. They have webbed feet that allow them to swim and dive easily. Puffins can only stay underwater 20 to 30 seconds though.
- Do puffins lay eggs? Yes, puffins lay eggs. Females usually lay one egg each year. The egg is either a white or lilac color and both parents incubate the egg.
- Are puffins endangered? Puffins are not endangered, but they are considered to be vulnerable because their population is decreasing. This is due to food shortages from overfishing, pollution, and predation.
- How long can puffins stay underwater? They can hold their breath for up to 30 seconds while underwater. This is enough time for them to catch fish to eat.
- How fast can puffins fly? Puffins can fly 48 to 55 miles per hour. To reach this speed, they have to beat their wings very rapidly.
- Where do puffins make their burrows? Puffins build their nests in burrows underground or in rocks on cliffs. These spots are safe from predators.
- Do puffins’ beaks change throughout the year? Yes, their beaks change throughout the year. During the breeding season, their beaks are large and brightly colored. After the breeding season, they shed their beak and are left with a smaller and less colorful one.
- What are the natural predators of puffins? The Great Black-backed Gull is the main predator of puffins. This predator can catch puffins while it is flying. Herring gulls are another predator, and they steal food, eggs, and chicks from puffins.
- Do puffins prefer the ocean or land more? Puffins spend most of their life in the ocean and seem to prefer it over the land. The only reason they go onto the land at all is to breed and raise their chicks.
Puffin Live Cam in Maine
Get ready to watch some puffins on Seal Island in Maine. Check out Explore.org to learn more about puffins and their habitat. This live puffin cam is brought to you by the Explore Birds Bats Bees youtube channel.
Click here to check out their YouTube channel.
How To Identify A Puffin
Puffins are small birds that live on the land and in the sea. They are similar in appearance and coloring to a penguin, but they are much smaller. Puffins are a part of the auk or alcid bird family. Other birds in this family include guillemots, murres, auklets, and murrelets.
Location
Location is key when identifying birds. Puffins live all over the world including Canada, the United States, Europe, and Russia. In the spring and summer, puffins breed on North Atlantic coasts and islands. The rest of the year, puffins mainly live in the open ocean. In the United States, puffins are commonly found living on the coast of Maine.
Size and Appearance
Identifying a puffin is quite simple. Puffins are a relatively small and short bird that looks similar to a penguin. They are about 12 inches tall and their wingspan is about 20-24 inches wide. The easiest way to identify a puffin is by their bright orange feet and their large orange, red, and yellow bill. Puffins’ faces and chests are white. Their wings and backs are black.
Different Types of Puffins
There are three different types of puffins, the Atlantic Puffin, the Horned Puffin, and the Tufted Puffin. Atlantic Puffins are the most common and well-known puffin. These puffins live in and on the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean. The Horned Puffin looks similar to the Atlantic Puffin, except these puffins have a horn projection above their eyes. Horned Puffins live in Alaska and British Columbia. The third type of puffin, the Tufted Puffin, is much larger than the Atlantic and Horned Puffins. It is characterized by its tufted feathers. The Tufted Puffin lives on the coasts from Alaska to Northern California. Both the Horned Puffin and the Tufted Penguin live in the North Pacific Ocean.
Vocalizations
Puffins do not make any sounds while in the ocean. Males sometimes make a grunting noise to attract females, but they only make this sound on the land. They also make a lot of noise at their breeding grounds which are on the land as well.
Behavior
While puffins are often compared to penguins because of their similar swimming abilities and waddling walk, they are not related in any way. But unlike penguins, puffins have the ability to fly. They are not graceful flyers, but they can fly up to 55 miles per hour by rapidly beating their wings. Puffins are much more comfortable in the water. They are carnivores and eat mainly fish. Their large beak allows them to catch multiple fish at a time and makes it easy for them to transport them to their young.
