Puffin - Fratercula arctica

Puffin (Fratercula arctica) are a characteristic seabird, sometimes called the 'clown of the sea' due to their colourful red and orange beak and waddling steps (fig 1). Puffins nest colonially in burrows along the slopes atop cliffs, and each pair will raise one chick per year (BTO, 2023). Sandeels comprise a large part of puffin diets alongside other fish such as herring and sprat (Owen et al, 2024). Puffins will typically live to around 18 years old, breeding at around 5 years old (BTO, 2023). 

Population & Distribution:
Around 8% of the global puffin population can be found in Britain and Ireland, with 75% of this population found in Scotland (fig. 2) (Burnell et al, 2023; Harris et al, 2024). Puffins are a common summer visitor to the East coast of Scotland, where they come to breed in small numbers (fig. 3). Traditional breeding sites in the area include Bullers of Buchan, Old Slains Castle, and Fowlsheugh (North East Scotland - Bird Report). Although they are sometimes seen along the coast in winter, they largely overwinter out to sea. 

Conservation Status:
The IUCN has classed puffins as Vulnerable to extinction globally (BirdLife International, 2018). Puffins are Red listed in Britain and Ireland, with the species  seen to have both a population and a breeding range decline (Stanbury et al, 2024). The latest Seabirds Count 2015-2021 found that 24% of the puffin population in Britain and Ireland has been lost since 2000 (RSPB, n.d.). 

Factors Impacting Puffin:
Rising sea temperatures and sea levels are changing the distribution and abundance of sandeel and other fish, and this change in prey availability is a key factor impacting puffins (Harris et al, 2005). In areas where puffin populations have declined, food brought to puffin chicks was found to be smaller and of poorer quality than in areas where populations are stable or increasing (Owen et al, 2024).
Coastal developments can have an impact on puffin populations. For example, offshore wind farms are often built upon sandbanks. These sandbanks are also often a nursery ground for breeding sandeels, a key prey item for puffins. The presence of these wind farms can disturb and displace puffins from these foraging areas, increasing their energy expenditure and foraging time (Harris et al, 2024).

Conservation Efforts:
Some of the measures to conserve puffin could include: accurate monitoring of puffin populations through schemes such as the Seabird Monitoring Programme, and  consideration of wind farm placements on key puffin foraging areas (Harris et al, 2024).
In April 2024 a sandeel fishing ban came into effect in English and Scottish areas of the North Sea in an effort to conserve seabird species such as puffin (RSPB, 2024). It is hoped that this will offer a lifeline for struggling seabirds to increase survival and boost populations.

Report any sightings to BirdTrack, or NESBReC via the link below.