The Atlantic puffin is only one of three kinds of puffins. The horned puffin and the tufted puffin are found in the Pacific Ocean. It is estimated that there are 15 to 20 million pair of puffin in the world. Puffins resemble penguins as their white underbelly contrasts their black coat. This coloring is a form of camouflage called counter shading.
Puffins are nicknamed parrots of the sea, because of their colorful triangular shaped beaks.
In early fall the blue plates on the beak fall off and the puffin s breeding plumage changes to a subdued tone. The average puffin life span is 25 years. Puffins get from one place to another in several ways. Puffins are strong fliers averaging speeds of fifty miles per hour. The puffin s wings flap between three and four hundred times per minute.