Adorable Puffins Are Tougher Than They Look
Atlantic puffins spend eight months of the year on the open ocean, but until now, where they went each winter was a mystery.
The cute little Atlantic puffin might not strike you as a vessel built for life on the open ocean. But nothing could be further from the truth.
For starters, the black, white, and orange feathers puffins are completely waterproof. And the tiny birds spend epic lengths of time at sea, with fledglings riding the waves for a full two years before ever setting foot on land. And now scientists have tracked the birds through the winter, finding in a study released February 11th how these survivors make it through the winter.
Even though they’re tough, puffins are at risk from a changing environment, so locating their winter food supply could help to protect them.
Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) are
