During the breeding season, their bills become vivid and colorful. Both parents incubate the egg and feed the chick. Their specialized bills are laced with sharp hooks that help hold fish. One puffin had more than 60 fish in its bill at one time. Natural predators include gulls, sharks, and killer whales.
Humans also hunt puffins, with sometimes devastating results.
Historically, as colonists arrived in the New England area, puffins were hunted at first for their meat. Later, their feathers were used for pillow stuffing and hat decorations. By 1901, only one pair remained south of the Canadian border by Maine's Matincus Rock. Because of protection by the National Audubon Society and the United States government, puffins have made a comeback. The puffin population on Matincus Rock is around 150 pairs now.