Assessing how suitable puffin breeding habitat characteristics have changed over time will provide necessary information to guide refuge managers in habitat restoration and support adaptive management decisions. It is expected that the vegetation on nesting sites has changed over time due to site-specific, climatic, and environmental variables. ![]() ![]() We compared the topography, vegetation, and percent cover of Tufted Puffin breeding sites from 1971 to 2021 using aerial photos, data from the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP), other remote sensing data sets, and on-the-ground surveys. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a field study and a spatial analysis to examine the distribution of suitable breeding habitat for Tufted Puffins on the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, OR. In 2018, the Tufted Puffin Species Status Assessment (SSA) determined that factors related to breeding site conditions are one possible cause of puffin decline however, little is known about the specific characteristics of nesting habitat along the Oregon coast, or how it relates to their population demographics. there are 3 extant species of puffins, common, horned, and tufted Fast Facts Description Although not closely related, puffins are similar in shape and color to penguins. Tufted puffin populations on the Oregon Coast have declined dramatically from over 5,000 birds in 1989 to 550 birds in 2021. puffins Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Aves Order Charadriiformes Family Alcidae Genus Species Fratercula spp. Further, tufted puffins are sensitive to changes in prey availability and as such, are good indicators of overfishing and ecosystem disturbance. While the Rhinoceros Auklet was mistakenly classified as a member of the Auklet tribe of Alcids, recent genetic studies not only confirmed it is a puffin, they show that the three Fratercula puffins actually evolved from an earlier Rhinoceros Auklet ancestor.Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats. However, all four species are ecologically similar, for example, they all “fly” underwater to catch small schooling fish, carry loads of small fish in their bills to feed chicks, nest underground, and raise just one chick at a time. While the Fratercula puffins have similar broad, colorful beaks and black upper bodies, the Rhinoceros Auklet has a smaller, less dramatic bill and is mostly gray in color. There are four species of true puffins, three of which are grouped in the Fratercula genus, and a fourth (Rhinocerous Auklet) that often gets forgotten because it was misnamed many years ago. Puffins are also known as the “clown of the ocean” and the “sea parrot” due to their colorful facial markings. With their dark cape and fat belly the birds looked like overweight medieval friars and so they were dubbed the “little friars of the sea” or Fratercula marina. Their rotund appearance was also the inspiration for their scientific name. They were named puffins due to the “puff” ball appearance, which was first noted in a detailed description of the Atlantic puffin species in 1570. After several years maturing at sea, puffins will return to the same nesting colony where they were born to pair up and mate. Because they are entirely dependent on marine food resources, their future is most threatened by global warming of ocean waters which is already disrupting their food supply chain. Like many marine birds, puffins spend much of their time at sea foraging on fish and return to the coast to nest and raise chicks. They are members of the Alcidae family, more commonly known as the auks. Type: Bird Diet: Fish Life span: 20 years Size: 1012 in Weight: 17.5 oz Habitat: At sea, and on rocky cliffs and islands Range: North Atlantic Ocean. ![]() The four puffins are the Tufted Puffin, the Horned Puffin, the Atlantic Puffin, and the Rhinoceros Auklet. Puffins are a group of marine birds distinguished by black, dark grey, or black and white, plumage and a vibrantly colored beak. While penguins reign as the most dapper black and white marine birds in the Southern Hemisphere, in the north that distinction goes to the puffins.
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