Puffin
| Irish Name: | Puifín |
| Scientific name: | Fratercula arctica |
| Bird Family: | Auks |
red
Conservation status
Conservation status
Status
Summer visitor from March to September to sea stacks and cliffs, mainly along the west coast of Ireland.
Identification
The smallest species of Auk in Ireland, a highly marine species which is only found on land in the breeding season. A black and white seabird, with black above and white below. In the breeding season the parrot like multi-coloured bill and large white patch on the face make adults distinctive and easily recognisable at close quarters. The bill is smaller on the adult in winter and much smaller on the juvenile. At a distance can be told from Guillemot by its small size, thicker body, larger, heavier head and darker underwing.
Voice
Deep grunting, mainly from the burrow.
Diet
Marine fish and crustaceans.
Breeding
Attends colonies from April and early August. Nests in colonies in burrows, or sometimes in boulder screes and in cracks in steep cliffs, rather like Razorbills and Black Guillemots. Will utilize rabbit burrows and will evict rabbits. Usually nests in areas that are safe from mammalian predators, for which reason it prefers off- shore islands.
Wintering
Winters far out to sea and not often seen outside of the breeding season.
Monitored by
Breeding seabirds are monitored through seabird surveys carried out every 15-20 years.
The Puffin is found mainly on the west coast with a scattering of east coast sites. Great Saltee is a good place to see Puffins. The Cliffs of Moher, in County Clare and Horn Head, in County Donegal, are also accessible sites. The Skelligs off County Kerry have one of the largest Puffin populations which is of International importance.
Winters far out in the North Atlantic Ocean only returning to land to nest. Wintering further out to sea than all other Auks.
Blog posts about this bird
A Feathered Farewell
[vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" column_margin="default" column_direction="default" column_direction_tablet="default" column_direction_phone="default" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" row_border_radius="none" row_border_radius_applies="bg" row_position_desktop="default" row_position_tablet="inherit" row_position_phone="inherit" overflow="visible" overlay_strength="0.3" gradient_direction="left_to_right" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_tablet="inherit" column_padding_phone="inherit" column_padding_position="all" flex_gap_desktop="10px" column_element_direction_desktop="default" column_element_spacing="default" desktop_text_alignment="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_backdrop_filter="none" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" column_link_target="_self" column_position="default" gradient_direction="left_to_right" overlay_strength="0.3" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" animation_type="default" bg_image_animation="none" border_type="simple" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text css="" text_direction="default"]It feels like yesterday that we were welcoming back our summer breeding birds. Before you know it, eggs are hatched, chicks are fledged, and our feathered friends are off again, leaving our shores. Late summer welcomes a new crowd, such as the Sooty Shearwater, Great Shearwater and the occasional Wilson’s Storm-petrel; it won't be until autumn when we see the return of our wintering waterfowl and waders. Here's our summer species sendoff and where they'll be going next. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" column_margin="default" column_direction="default" column_direction_tablet="default" column_direction_phone="default" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" row_border_radius="none" row_border_radius_applies="bg" row_position_desktop="default" row_position_tablet="inherit" row_position_phone="inherit" overflow="visible" overlay_strength="0.3" gradient_direction="left_to_right" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_tablet="inherit" column_padding_phone="inherit" column_padding_position="all" flex_gap_desktop="10px" column_element_direction_desktop="default" column_element_spacing="default" desktop_text_alignment="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_backdrop_filter="none" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" column_link_target="_self" column_position="default" gradient_direction="left_to_right" overlay_strength="0.3" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" animation_type="default" bg_image_animation="none" border_type="simple" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text css="" text_direction="default"]
Back to the Sea
While the thought of being out at sea during the winter is enough to send some of us humans into hypothermia, it is welcome homecoming to some of our bird species. This is true for the Puffin, who disperses onto the Atlantic Ocean in the winter. Scientists are still studying exactly where they go, but according to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), their wintering range extends from the Northern Atlantic down to the northwest Africa. They aren't the only ones who take to the sea for our colder months. Gannets and Kittiwakes also take the high seas and spread across the Atlantic during the winter, some venturing down to the coasts of west Africa. Unlike Puffins and Kittiwakes, some Gannets stick around Ireland's coasts and can be seen throughout the year. Although not strictly a seabird, Red-necked Phalaropes migrate far off the shore, though scientists are still determining exactly where these birds go. It is suspected that the Red-necked Phalaropes which nest in Ireland are part of the population that also breeds in Iceland and the northern Scottish islands, are thought to winter on the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Peru. Breeding populations from Scandinavian and Russian winter in the Arabian Sea. Outside of the nesting season, these wading birds live entirely at sea, feeding on plankton until the spring. 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column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text css="" text_direction="default"]Mainland Africa
Common Swifts, one of Ireland's fastest bird species, are like the forementioned seabirds in that they too don't touch land in the winter, but they aren't in the ocean, either. Instead, they are flying high above sub-Saharan Africa, never landing until they return back to their breeding grounds. While in the African skies, they follow the rains, taking advantage of insect increases after rainfall. Another insect-chasing (literally in its name) bird, the Spotted Flycatcher, heads south to central and southern Africa for the winter season. Research has shown that some individuals fly as far south as Namibia, a hefty 7,000 km from their breeding grounds. This distance rivals that covered by the Wheatear, which has one of the longest migrations of any songbird. Birds breeding in north-eastern Canada fly almost non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean to their sub-Saharan wintering grounds. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" column_margin="default" column_direction="default" column_direction_tablet="default" column_direction_phone="default" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" row_border_radius="none" row_border_radius_applies="bg" row_position_desktop="default" row_position_tablet="inherit" row_position_phone="inherit" overflow="visible" overlay_strength="0.3" gradient_direction="left_to_right" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_tablet="inherit" column_padding_phone="inherit" column_padding_position="all" flex_gap_desktop="10px" column_element_direction_desktop="default" column_element_spacing="default" desktop_text_alignment="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_backdrop_filter="none" 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column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text css="" text_direction="default"]Learn More
There are more birds leaving Ireland for the season than just the ones we've listed here. Visit our page of Irish birds to discover more. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
BirdWatch Ireland calls on government to protect sites for seabirds as soon as possible
[vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" column_margin="default" column_direction="default" column_direction_tablet="default" column_direction_phone="default" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" row_border_radius="none" row_border_radius_applies="bg" row_position_desktop="default" row_position_tablet="inherit" row_position_phone="inherit" overflow="visible" overlay_strength="0.3" gradient_direction="left_to_right" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_tablet="inherit" column_padding_phone="inherit" column_padding_position="all" flex_gap_desktop="10px" column_element_direction_desktop="default" column_element_spacing="default" desktop_text_alignment="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_backdrop_filter="none" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" column_link_target="_self" column_position="default" gradient_direction="left_to_right" overlay_strength="0.3" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" animation_type="default" bg_image_animation="none" border_type="simple" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text css="" text_direction="default"]BirdWatch Ireland notes the announcement by the European Commission on April 29th 2026 that it has started infringement proceedings against the Irish government for failure to designate marine Special Protection Areas for seabirds in Irish waters [1].
Oonagh Duggan, Head of Policy and Advocacy at BirdWatch Ireland said:
“In 2025 BirdWatch Ireland published data on 75 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) for seabirds in Ireland - 24 of these are in Irish marine waters and 51 are terrestrial breeding sites. We are calling on government to urgently designate as Special Protection Areas all the IBAs not yet designated for seabirds including the 24 marine areas and to comply with the European Commission’s Letter of Formal Notice. These IBAs are based on the best available data and standardised international criteria that is recognised by the European Court of Justice. The maps are there. The data is there. Now is the time to designate them.” [2]
Map of 24 marine IBAs for seabirds identified by BirdWatch Ireland and BirdLife International.
Seabirds nest on cliffs and islands and most of these areas are already afforded legal protection in Ireland though 9 IBAs remain to be designated. There are sites at sea that are also critical in the seabird lifecycle and which are not yet protected (24 marine IBAs see map above). They are areas where seabirds forage for food for themselves and their chicks, pathways through which they migrate, and places where they overwinter. It is a basic requirement of EU law to protect these sites and the Irish government has been required to do so since 2012. “The Irish government has been required to designate marine sites for seabirds since 2012. With its Letter of Formal Notice, the European Commission has stepped in to enforce implementation of the Birds Directive because the government has not done so. In the last 10 years there has been significant investment in seabird survey and monitoring and the designation process has begun for some marine areas which we welcome but the process has been slow and we have concerns relating to it.” The European Court of Justice has issued rulings outlining how Member States must designate all suitable sites for birds and based solely on ornithological criteria without considering economic interests. [3, 4] “Ireland is at a critical juncture. Government is racing to identify areas for offshore wind, which we need urgently, but is lagging behind in designation of marine sites for seabirds and other biodiversity. The failure to identify and protect these marine sites before identifying areas for offshore wind creates significant uncertainty for nature protection and for wind farm developers.” Sarah Hegarty, Marine Advocacy and Campaigns Officer, said: “Ireland is important globally for seabirds. Twenty-three of Ireland’s twenty-four breeding seabird species are Red or Amber-Listed Birds of Conservation Concern. Included are species like the Puffin and the Kittiwake which are Red Listed and globally vulnerable. We also call on government to publish the Marine Protected Area legislation as soon as possible which would identify and protect areas at sea for other marine biodiversity and so Ireland can meet its 30% Marine Protected Areas by 2030 target. Government has been putting protection for marine life on the long finger for too long”. Notes: [1] European Commission Infringement announcement https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/inf_26_720 [2] BirdWatch Ireland Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas for Seabirds https://birdwatchireland.ie/ibas-for-seabirds-in-ireland/ [3] SPA Designation and Important Bird Areas - a list of European Court of Justice Rulings https://birdwatchireland.ie/app/uploads/2026/01/SPA-Designation-and-IBAs-ECJ-Rulings.pdf [4] Detail on IBAs to be designated https://birdwatchireland.ie/app/uploads/2026/04/Detail-on-IBAs-to-be-designated.pdf [5] Photo of a Puffin which can be used for any publication. BirdWatch Ireland and BirdLife International : IBA methodology webinar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p064zLUYUQE[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
