Puffins Pictures

Adorable Puffin pictures taken in Alaska and Canada. These Puffin images show the iconic Atlantic birds going about their lives, nesting on rocky shores, enjoying flights, and providing for their chicks. These photos of Atlantic Puffins, Horned Puffins, and Tufted Puffins are available as stock photography.

Visit our online marketplace for prints, desk art, mugs, keepsakes and customizable gifts.

Atlantic Puffin In FlightWatch out Below - While its wings are best used to swim underwater, the Atlantic Puffin uses them to fly from its nesting site on land to feed in the ocean below. They really are as comical to watch as they look in this photo.

Stock Image #20110627-122911

Atlantic Puffin Wings StretchedWings Stretched - A wide rocky ledge is preferable for the less than stable landing of the Atlantic Puffin. While not as graceful as most birds, it does make for an entertaining afternoon of crashes, spills and angry bites when the landing is missed.

Stock Image #20110702-174801

Bonding PuffinsBonding Pairs - The Atlantic Puffin is the smallest species of the puffin family. It is highly recognizable here with its brightly colored bill that will be shed after mating season is done and the bird returns to sea.

Stock Image #20110627-122006

Horned Puffins Take FlightA pair of horned puffins take flight from a rocky island off the shores of Alaska’s Lake Clark National Park.

Stock Image #20130801-190237

Photo Of Puffin Splashing As It Flies Above The OceanPuffin splashing - A puffin creates a series of splashes as it skims along the surface of the ocean near Lake Clark, Alaska. This photo catches the playful bird in action as it ascends from the water. The colorful seabird is likely fishing for young salmon and other small fish.

Stock Image #20130801-161741

Puffin FeastPuffin Feast - The Witless Bay Ecological Reserve near St. John's Newfoundland is a marvelous place to watch the life cycle of the Atlantic Puffin begin. These small birds will only be on land during their nesting season and will frequently be seen bringing small fish to feed their young in the burrows.

Stock Image #20110711-090748A

Atlantic Puffins Flight Over The ColonyFlight over the Colony - The grassy tops of this Atlantic Ocean island are a perfect place for the Atlantic Puffin the build its nest by burrowing into the soft earth. It was common for the birds to over fly the area looking for their mate in their burrow.

Stock Image #20110626-142131B

Horned Puffin Mated PairHorned puffin parents lay just one egg at a time, and put in an equal amount of work rearing it. Mom and Dad take turns incubating the egg. When it hatches, they’ll guard the baby and gather its food in shifts. It’ll take about 40 days until the baby puffin can fend for itself.

Stock Image #20180730-18035063

The Calling Of A PuffinThe Calling of a Puffin - With many seabird colonies, the noise generated by the thousands of birds is quite chaotic, however the Atlantic Puffin makes very few sounds and its colonies are quiet. Even as we watched this puffin open his beak as to make a sound, no sound was distinguishable.

Stock Image #20110629-132546A

Alaskan Seabird Pictures Horned PuffinsBird Island is one of the breeding grounds for Horned puffins in Alaska. Featured here are three seabirds resting among the green foliage and purple flowers of this protected island. While gazing off to the sea, we shot this beautiful wildlife image during an excursion on our Alaskan photo adventure.

Stock Image #20170731-115215

Grassy Landing For An Atlantic PuffinCan you believe that this small Atlantic Puffin can reach speeds up to 55 mph in the air? If you have ever tried to photograph one, you know this is the case. Highly erratic and quick, catching a puffin in flight takes lots of patience.

Stock Image #20110627-123245A

Portrait Of A PuffinThe horned puffin is one of our favorite birds to watch and photograph. One of three types of puffins, this seabird is easily recognizable with its colorful beak and horned tuft above its eye. They are quite comical when flying through the air, however, their "underwater" flying is amazing to watch. We were also lucky enough to see the Tufted puffin in Alaska, and look forward to photographing the Atlantic Puffin in Newfoundland this year.

Stock Image #20100821-135729

Puffin With A ViewPuffin with a View - The Clown of the Sea. Quite easy to see where this nickname of the Atlantic Puffin comes from.

Stock Image #20110630-141509B

Portrait Of A Puffin Flying With FishMeal on the fly - A puffin flies with a fish hanging out of its mouth near Duck Island, Alaska. Puffins typically live most of their lives at sea, resting on waves when they aren't swimming. They are also good fliers and can reach speeds of up to 55 miles per hour.

Stock Image #20130801-181052

Portrait Of Puffin Perching On RockPuffin profile - A puffin shows its profile while it perches on the edge of a sharp colorful rock on Bird Island in Alaska. The birds are not only known for their bright colors, but also for having a colorful personality. Puffins are social birds who love to play and have individual personalities.

Stock Image #20130801-170819

Puffin Squak BoxSquak Box - I told you not to go there!!! Well, that may not be the exact words of this Atlantic Puffin, but it definitely looks to be the general gist of the conversation. Although it looks like a very loud sound should be coming from this puffin, the puffin colonies are almost silent with only low grunts emitting from them on land.

Stock Image #20110706-194455B

Tufted Puffin Taking FlightTufted puffins like this one share much of the range of horned puffins. To rise into the air, they have to thrash around until their wings lift them above the surface of the water.

Stock Image #20190729-172546

Atlantic Puffin Peeking Over The EdgePeeking over the edge - About 95% of the Atlantic Puffins of North America breed off the coast of Newfoundland. With such a large population, the birds are a huge part of Newfoundland's tourism.

Stock Image #20110630-141711

Puffin For LandingPuffin for Landing - The rocky coastline of Newfoundland's northern coast makes a great habitat for large colonies of seabirds, including the Atlantic Puffin. The puffin is only onshore for several months during its mating season and will spend the majority of its life out in the Atlantic Ocean.

Stock Image #20110627-122821A

Flocks Of PuffinsPiles of Puffins - Atlantic Puffins return each year to the same nesting site with the same mates. No one is quite sure how the puffin knows how to return, but some puffins have been observed returning to the same nesting site for over 30 years.

Stock Image #20110629-124438

Horned Puffin Wide ShotThis panoramic photo shows off the nearly two-foot wingspan of the horned puffin. It’s carrying fish in its bill, likely winging its way home to its mate.

Stock Image #20180730-18495446

Puffin Chatter On The RockPuffin Chatter on the Rock - The beautiful rocky coastline of Northern Newfoundland is home to about 95% of the Atlantic Puffin nesting areas. With over 70,000 nesting pairs, this area is rich in the fish and nutrients required by such a large population of sea birds.

Stock Image #20110704-190124

Puffin Gear DownPuffin Gear Down - The Atlantic Puffin is nicknamed the parrot of the sea and its pretty easy to see why. But did you know that both the brightly colored beak and feet will fade to a dull grey when mating season is over?

Stock Image #20110627-122537B

Puffin Three PackPuffin Three Pack - While a colony of nesting puffins can range from a couple of nesting pairs to over 60,000 nesting pairs, the interaction is the same. One of the pair will stay in the nest while the other will feed and often bring back food for the hatched chick. Here these puffins take a break from nesting duties to hang out and dry their feathers on the rocky coastline.

Stock Image #20110630-145937

Gliding AlongWith wings more suiting for diving than flying, the Atlantic Puffin looks a bit odd while flying. The short stubby wings, large body and brightly colored orange feet make them highly recognizable in flight.

Stock Image #20110626-143811A