Atlantic puffins, often mistaken for penguins because of their black and white coloring, make their home on remote islands off the coasts of Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland and the Northeastern U.S. Puffins spend much of their pre-breeding years looking for a mate, an important task since puffins keep the same partner throughout their lives.
Puffins lay one egg per year. The male and the female work together, keeping the egg warm. After about 40 days, the egg hatches and reveals a small, fluffy chick, covered with gray down. The chick weighs an average of 40 grams, which is about the same weight as eight nickels.
After the egg hatches, one parent keeps the puffin chick (puffling) warm while the other parent finds fish for the puffling to eat. After six weeks, the puffin chick is ready to emerge from its burrow. By the time the chick is seven weeks old, it has reached its full size.
A puffin chick was born at the National Aquarium on June 24, 2006. Although he is the same size as the other puffins, you can still spot some differences. The chick has a smaller, more pointy beak and it is darker in color than the adult puffins.
Provided by the National Aquarium. Visit www.aqua.org.
