Horned Puffins lay only one egg a year. Incubation tends to last 42-47 days. Both parents also incubate the egg by placing it under one wing and leaning their body against it. When the young puffin hatches, the parents take turns protecting and feeding it. About 40 days after the chicks have hatched, they are abandoned by their parents who venture out into sea.
Hunger drives the chicks into the ocean in search of food.
Behavior During the winter season, Horned Puffins tend to be solitary. During this time they live and eat in these large groups. In the summer, they breed monogamously. Puffins usually return to the same burrow and nest with the same mate year after year. Puffins are well-suited for swimming underwater, rather than for flying.