Tufted Puffin
The Tufted Puffin, one of Oregon’s most iconic and beloved seabirds, has been disappearing from Oregon’s shores at an alarming rate. In 1998, the population was nearly 5,000 strong. In 2021, that number dropped to just 553, a rapid decline that demands action. Currently, the Tufted Puffin is listed as endangered in Washington State, sensitive in Oregon, and a species of special concern in California.
Today, Three Arch Rocks in Tillamook County hosts the largest colony—about 40%—of Oregon’s remaining Tufted Puffin population. Farther north at Cannon Beach, Haystack Rock serves as one of the Northwest’s most accessible locations to observe puffins during breeding season, despite their declining population—from 312 birds counted in 1988 to 106 counted in 2023.
Bird Alliance of Oregon is currently working with stakeholders in Washington, Oregon, and California, to align our strategies and work to increase Tufted Puffin populations in Oregon where they have the fewest protections and the fastest declining numbers.
Threats to the Tufted Puffin
Tufted Puffin decline along the southern portion of their range is not fully understood. There are a number of likely stressors that are thought to contribute to their decline including warming ocean temperatures related to climate change, reduced forage fish for them to eat, and pollution and invasive species, which can severely alter their breeding habitat.
Bird Alliance of Oregon’s Work to Protect the Tufted Puffin
Since our founding, Bird Alliance of Oregon has prioritized the preservation of our ocean habitat, including our rocky shores. In 1907, we successfully advocated to President Teddy Roosevelt to protect Three Arch Rocks, declaring it one of the first National Wildlife Refuges in the west. Today, 40% of Oregon’s Tufted Puffin population can be found nesting at Three Arch Rocks.
In early 2024, National Audubon’s Tufted Puffin Coordinator, Katherine Luscher, coordinated a 20-member stakeholder group including Bird Alliance of Oregon, USFWS, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, American Bird Conservancy, Oregon State University, Oikonos, Haystack Rock Awareness Program, and others to begin discussions on present and future priorities for Tufted Puffin conservation. The coordinated work now being developed will address the decline of the Tufted Puffin by advocating for stronger policies to protect this bird and their habitat, as well as coordinate science-based management strategies that will—if successful—restore and maintain self-sustaining populations of Tufted Puffins within their historic range. In addition to the continuation of research and surveys, the coalition is prioritizing specific conservation actions that will include direct, hands-on activities like invasive species removal, social attraction (e.g., using decoys to attract Tufted Puffins to viable breeding grounds), placement of nest boxes, soil amendments, and appropriate management of predators.
Other examples of our work that benefits the Tufted Puffin include:
- Member of Oregon Tufted Puffin Working Group
- Increasing protections for forage fish in state and Federal waters, helping to preserve Tufted Puffin prey
- Establishing Oregon’s first five Marine Reserves, helping to create nurseries to stabilize and increase forage fish populations
- Protecting rocky habitat sites along the coast
Natural History: Tufted Puffins
Name: Tufted Puffin
Scientific Name: Fratercula cirrhata
Conservation Status: Species of Concern in the Oregon Conservation Strategy, Declining
Habitat: During the breeding season, Tufted Puffins occupy steep, rocky islands and cliffs, as well as ocean waters near to their breeding colonies. In the winter months, these birds spend their time in the deep, offshore waters of the North Pacific Ocean.
Food: Tufted Puffins catch and eat a wide variety of forage fish like sardines and anchovy, plus squid and other aquatic prey. They mainly feed small fish to their young. There is still much to learn about their winter diet, but squid features prominently, likely due to its higher numbers in deeper waters.
Nest Type: Tufted Puffins nest colonially. They use their clawed feet (and occasionally their bills) to excavate nesting burrows on the earthen sides or tops of rocky, offshore islands. They line these burrows with dry grasses, feathers, twigs, and other soft materials. Once a nest is established, it will typically be reused in future years.
Behavior: Tufted Puffins are powerful swimmers and divers. Using their wings as paddles, these birds appear to “fly” underwater, and they use their large feet as rudders to steer into schools of fish up to 200 feet below the surface. Most dives last 20-30 seconds, but these birds can stay underwater for up to a full minute. Though they nest in colonies, Tufted Puffins are fierce nest defenders. At sea, they form feeding flocks with other seabirds and gulls.
Description: A stocky seabird (16” in length), with all-black body feathers, bright orange feet, and a thick, laterally-compressed, mostly orange bill. During the breeding season, Tufted Puffins have white faces and red-orange eye rings, a yellow-orange plate at the base of the bill, and the characteristic long, golden plumes that curl over the back of the bird’s head and neck. Males and females look the same, except that males are slightly larger.
Fun Facts!
- Tufted Puffins have been nicknamed “sea parrots” and “clowns of the sea.” A collection of Tufted Puffins is known as a “circus”!
- These birds might also be called “Curly-haired Monks”! The genus name Fratercula derives from a medieval Latin word for friar, referring to the black and white plumage which resembles monastic robes. The species name cirrhata comes from the Latin word “cirrus”, meaning a curl of hair.
- Tufted Puffins have little spikes on the inside of their upper bill (called “denticles”) that allow the bird to catch and hold on to up to 20 slippery fish at a time!
- In Oregon, you can usually see Tufted Puffins on Haystack from mid April through July. It’s the most accessible spot to see the species in the state. Tip: They are most active in the morning between 7 and 10 a.m. so arrive early if you want to get a glimpse.
- A male Tufted Puffin may engage in many courtship displays, including bowing, bill swinging and nibbling the feet and neck of his mate. He will aggressively defend his mate at sea by chasing the rival for up to 1 kilometer. Both males and females are dedicated nest defenders, starting with a warning display that, if ignored, can escalate to bill locking, wing beating, and scratching with their sharp claws.
- While Tufted Puffin populations are still strong in Alaska, they face many threats, and their numbers are declining in Oregon, Washington, and California. Please join us in our efforts to protect the habitats and forage fish of these exciting birds!