Atlantic Puffin

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Habitat and behaviour

Habitat: Sea-cliff burrows (summer).
Diet: Sandeels.
Best time to spot: Iconic; declining at most colonies.

When to look

A summer visitor, typically in the UK from April to August. Numbers peak in May. See the May birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in British seabirds.

Taller bars mean more birds about. Grey means it is usually absent.

How rare is it?

The Atlantic Puffin sits in our Uncommon tier for the UK: regular, but you usually need the right place or the right season. It is Red-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the highest level of concern in the UK.

Where to see it

Reserves where the Atlantic Puffin is on the list:

• RSPB Bempton Cliffs

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Tufted PuffinLegendary · Sea (extreme vagrant)
• Black-legged KittiwakeUncommon · Sea-cliff ledges (summer)
• Common GuillemotUncommon · Sea-cliff ledges (summer)
• Arctic TernUncommon · Northern coasts (summer)
• Arctic SkuaUncommon · Northern moors (summer); sea (passage)
• Common CuckooUncommon · Reedbeds

Kit that helps

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