Meet the Horned Puffin

Here’s the third and final post in our puffin series, highlighting the rugged and striking Horned Puffin:

Horned Puffin: The Bold Explorer of the North Pacific

With its dramatic “horns,” sharp black-and-white plumage, and hardy ocean lifestyle, the Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata) is a bird built for the wild edges of the Pacific. It may look like its Atlantic cousin at a glance, but this puffin has a flair all its own.

Let’s meet the Horned Puffin—the puffin with attitude.

Where They Live

Horned Puffins are native to the North Pacific Ocean, with a range that includes:

The coastal regions of Alaska, including the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands
Parts of eastern Russia, including the Kamchatka Peninsula
Occasionally found as far south as British Columbia

They breed on rugged islands and sea cliffs, often in rocky crevices rather than the grassy burrows used by other puffins.

How to Recognize a Horned Puffin

Horned Puffins are often mistaken for Atlantic Puffins because of their similar coloring—but there are key differences:

Distinct black “horns”: fleshy, dark eye extensions above each eye (more visible in breeding season)
White face set against a black “helmet” and black back
Large, triangular orange-yellow bill, but with a more defined vertical ridge
Bright orange feet, like other puffin species

They’re slightly smaller than Tufted Puffins and about the same size as Atlantic Puffins.

Diet and Hunting Style

Horned Puffins are agile divers that pursue prey below the surface. Their diet includes:

Fish like herring, smelt, and sand lance
Squid and crustaceans

They use rapid wingbeats to power themselves underwater and can dive as deep as 100 feet in search of a meal.

Nesting and Pufflings

Unlike their burrow-digging relatives, Horned Puffins typically nest in:

Natural rock crevices
Cliff ledges or among boulders

They lay one egg per season, and both parents incubate and feed the chick. After several weeks, the fledgling puffin heads to sea alone, where it will remain until it’s old enough to return and breed.

Conservation Outlook

The Horned Puffin is listed as Least Concern, and its global population remains stable. However, certain threats exist:

Plastic pollution: Puffins have been found with plastic in their stomachs.
Fishing nets and oil spills: Dangerous to seabirds that rely on pristine waters.
Climate change: Alters ocean food webs and fish availability.

Horned Puffins are less studied than other species, making conservation research important to ensure they remain healthy and widespread.

Fun Puffin Fact

Horned Puffins often rest far out at sea, floating alone or in small rafts. They’re so at home on the water that they can go months without touching land outside the breeding season.

Puffin Species Recap

With this post, we’ve now met all three members of the puffin family:

Puffin	Range	Standout Feature	Nesting Style
Atlantic	North Atlantic	Colorful beak, orange feet	Grass burrows
Tufted	North Pacific	Yellow head plumes	Burrows in soil/cliffs
Horned	North Pacific	Black “horns” over eyes	Rocky crevices