puffin

American  

[puhf-in] / ˈpʌf ɪn /

noun

puffins plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• puffins
  plural

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

See Examples For:

puffin puffins

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

The island is broken up into seven sections, and the team must work against the clock and the elements to make sure they have accounted for every puffin.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 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

"Here on Rathlin in 2017, a feral ferret reached one of our puffin colonies and killed 27 puffins in a two-day period," she said.

From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026

But regaining self-control, he made it clear that he wasn’t a puffin who compromised on discipline.

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

The return of puffins to coastal Maine suggests that the trend can be reversed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

The book’s most vibrant chapter chronicles the near-miraculous recovery of Atlantic puffins in Maine, at the southern fringe of their range.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

This year 52,019 puffins were recorded, beating the previous record of 43,626 set in 2025.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 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

There were four puffins and three terns and five sandpipers.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown