The Tufted Puffin is the largest and most dramatic puffin in North America, the breeding adult sporting long golden head plumes swept back from its orange-and-yellow bill and white face. It nests in burrows on grassy clifftops on Pacific islands and coastlines from California to Alaska. Like other puffins, it uses its wings to swim underwater in pursuit of fish.
Best time to see a Tufted Puffin
The best time to see a Tufted Puffin is May–July, when about 69% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 2,614 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
Not certain it is a Tufted Puffin? What bird is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.
Recent Tufted Puffin sightings near you
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