puffin

American  

[puhf-in] / ˈpʌf ɪn /

noun

1. any of several alcidine sea birds of the genera Fratercula and Lunda, having a short neck and a large, compressed, grooved bill, as F. arctica Atlantic puffin, of the North Atlantic.

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puffin British  

/ ˈpʌfɪn /

noun

1. any of various northern diving birds of the family Alcidae (auks, etc), esp Fratercula arctica ( common or Atlantic puffin ), having a black-and-white plumage and a brightly coloured vertically flattened bill: order Charadriiformes

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Etymology

Origin of puffin

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English poffoun, poffin, puffon (compare Anglo-Latin poffo, puffo ); origin uncertain

Explanation

A puffin is a black and white seabird with a bright orange beak and matching feet. Most puffins live in the northernmost parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Puffins belong to the family of birds known as auks. While puffins' coloring, proximity to the ocean, and fondness for fish make them similar to penguins, the two birds have some major differences. Penguins, which don't fly, have heavy bones that help them swim. Puffins, on the other hand, have hollow bones that assist them in soaring through the air. And while penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere, puffins are only found in the Northern Hemisphere.

Example Sentences

An illustration shows a Buster Keaton-eyed puffin with a beakful of sardines or sprats.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

The same method has been used to count the puffins since the 1980s, so they can compare more than 40 years of puffin population data.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

That included investment in products to help teachers with administrative tasks, an automated mapping system to monitor puffin populations using drones, and software to identify toxins which could give firefighters cancer.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

"I've found balloons with animals attached. I've actually found a dead puffin too," she said.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

Major Puff insisted that a complete history of all the puffin wars would fit in perfectly.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el