Atlantic Puffin
Latin: Fratercula arctica
We love them. Now protect them and their habitats.
Photo: Stephen W. Kress
“Why do birds matter?” is one of those questions like “What is love?” or “Why are we here?” or even “Is there a God?” Unanswerable, I think, by logic. One could cite facts like, birds eat lots of harmful insects, charm us at our feeders, or challenge us to learn their field marks, molts, and names both common and scientific. But perhaps the answer lies deeper. Since the beginning birds have lifted our eyes to the skies. They’ve shown us we’re not gravity’s slave, that flight is possible and limitless. It can hover and soar, dive and display, and take us from one end of the planet to the other in a single, impossible burst of energy and purpose. Inspiration is the gift birds have given us from the start. But now they give us a question as well. Like the canary in the mine, they hold the planet up to us like a mirror and ask: “Can you not see that if we pass away, soon you will as well?” That’s a good question, and since birds pose it, they matter a lot.
—Wes Craven, Film director
Puffins are incredible divers and can reach depths of 200 feet on their journeys to look for food.
Atlantic Puffins are very social birds. They interact regularly through many behaviors.
Local companies offer a unique opportunity to view the thriving colony at Eastern Egg Rock.
A short montage of puffins and terns in action
The Atlantic Puffin is a small seabird that lives on the ocean throughout most of the year.
Arctic Terns nest on Matinicus Rock, Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge, and Eastern Egg Rock.
Adopt now and receive: A Certificate of Adoption, A biography of "your" puffin, and The book How We Brought Puffins Back To Egg Rock by Stephen Kress.
There are many ways that you can get involved with Project Puffin to help us make a difference for seabirds worldwide!