A common misconception is that Puffins are related to Penguins. Although both birds have many similarities, they come from different families. The Horned and Tufted Puffins live in the Pacific ocean from Oregon on up to Alaska and over to Siberia, sharing the same nesting grounds. The Tufted Puffin is about 15 inches in height with a glossy black body, white face and a beautiful tuft of off-white feathers that curl back along its head. Horned Puffins stand a little smaller at 12 inches with a black body, white breast and smooth head.
Puffins are similar in size and coloring to their Horned Puffin cousins.
As their name denotes, these Puffins live in the North Atlantic, from the British Isles, to Iceland and Greenland, to Nova Scotia and Maine. The first word in the latin name of both the Atlantic and the Horned Puffin is Fratercula . This name can come from their habit of holding their feet together when out of water, giving the appearance of praying. Or it could come from their black and white bodies, resembling a cleric's clothing. Like penguins, the Atlantic and the Horned Puffin's bodies are camouflaged.