Horned Puffin
Fratercula corniculata
- Family
- Auks, Puffins, and Murres (Alcidae)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
Overview
The horned puffin (Fratercula corniculata) is an auk found in the North Pacific Ocean, including the coasts of Alaska, Siberia and British Columbia. It is a pelagic seabird that feeds primarily by diving for fish. It nests in colonies, often with other auks.
It is similar in appearance to the Atlantic puffin, its closest relative of the North Atlantic, but differs by a "horn" of black skin located above the eye, present in adult birds.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Breeds North Pacific coasts and islands from Wrangel Island eastward to Kamchatka, Kuril, and Commander islands (northeastern Russia), through Bering Sea and Aleutian islands and patchily in western and southern Alaska southward to British Columbia; winters offshore and coastally in North Pacific Ocean, mostly in breeding range.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Continents
Countries
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Horned puffin
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
