Birds Active during the day

Horned Puffin

Fratercula corniculata

iNaturalist eBird Wikipedia

Meet the 'Sea Parrot' of the North Pacific, a dapper diving bird famous for its vibrant bill and unique fleshy horns. Whether soaring over the waves or nesting on vertical cliffs, the Horned Puffin is a master of the maritime wilderness.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Length: 36–41 cm (14–16 in); Wingspan: 56–58 cm (22–23 in); Weight: 450–700 g (1–1.5 lbs)

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Colors

Striking white face and underparts with a black back, neck, and crown. The bill is bright yellow with a red tip during breeding season, and feet are a vibrant orange-red.

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Key Features

Thick, triangular yellow and red bill
Fleshy black 'horn' extending upward from the eye
White cheek patches during breeding season
Upright, penguin-like stance on land

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern Active during the day

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Peak hours 6-10 AM and 4-8 PM

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Season May-August (Breeding season)

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Diet Mainly small forage fish like sand lances, capelin, and herring, supplemented by squid and crustaceans.

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Habitat Open ocean (pelagic) for most of the year; rocky coastal cliffs and offshore islands for nesting.

Behavior

Horned Puffins are remarkably resilient seabirds that spend the vast majority of their lives at sea. They are exceptional divers, using their wings to 'fly' through the water in pursuit of small schooling fish. Unlike their Atlantic cousins who often dig burrows in the soil, Horned Puffins typically nest in deep rock crevices or among shoreline boulders, providing them with natural protection from aerial predators like gulls and eagles.

In their social lives, these birds are colonial nesters, often gathering in groups of thousands during the summer months. While they are relatively silent at sea, they produce low, growling sounds within their nesting crevices. They exhibit high site fidelity, often returning to the exact same rocky crack year after year to reunite with their long-term mate. Their interactions with humans are limited due to their remote habitat, but they are known for their curious nature when approached cautiously by boat.

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Camera Tips

Capturing a Horned Puffin on a trail camera requires targeting their specific 'landing pads'—the flat rocky outcroppings just outside their nesting crevices. Because these birds return to the same crevices repeatedly, you should position your camera at a low height (about 12-18 inches) facing a known entrance. Use a fast trigger speed, as puffins are notoriously quick when landing and can vanish into a crack in seconds.

Lighting is a major challenge in their foggy, maritime environments. Set your camera to a higher ISO or use a model with strong high-dynamic-range (HDR) capabilities to prevent the bright white feathers of the puffin's chest from 'blowing out' against the dark rocky background. Since salt spray and guano are common on puffin cliffs, housing your camera in a waterproof, easy-to-clean case is essential for long-term deployments.

While you cannot easily bait puffins with food, they are highly social and visually oriented. If you are monitoring a private coastal area, placing a realistic puffin decoy within the camera's field of view can encourage passing birds to land and investigate, leading to much better 'hero shots.' Focus your efforts during the chick-rearing months of July and August, when adults are constantly flying back and forth with mouths full of fish.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Horned Puffin.

Tufted Puffin

Has an all-dark belly and long yellow head tufts, whereas the Horned Puffin has a white belly and no tufts.

Atlantic Puffin

Found only in the Atlantic Ocean; lacks the black eye 'horn' and has a slightly different bill shape.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Horned Puffins are diurnal, meaning they are active during daylight. They are most frequently seen near land during the early morning and late afternoon when they are actively foraging for fish to bring back to their chicks.

Unless your backyard is a rocky cliff face in Alaska or British Columbia, you won't be able to attract them. They are strictly marine birds. However, coastal residents can help them by keeping shorelines clean and reducing light pollution, which can disorient young puffins.

They primarily eat small schooling fish like capelin and sand lances. Their specialized beaks allow them to hold dozens of small fish at once while they continue to hunt for more underwater.

No, Horned Puffins are never found in suburban areas. They are pelagic birds that spend their winters far out at sea and their summers on remote, uninhabited islands or rugged coastlines.

The easiest way is the belly: Horned Puffins have a bright white belly and chest, while Tufted Puffins are almost entirely dark brown/black. Additionally, Horned Puffins have a small black fleshy 'horn' above the eye, while Tufted Puffins have long, flowing yellow feather tufts.

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