Photo: Vernon Byrd, USFWS / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)

Least Concern

Shorebirds

Horned Puffin

Fratercula corniculata

Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata) — Shorebirds, Gulls & Auks of Europe & Northern Asia.

Field guide · LocationsWhere to see this bird

Found across 20 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.

Regional checklists

Birds of Canada Birds of Japan Birds of Mexico Birds of the United States Birds of British Columbia Birds of Yukon Territory Birds of Alaska Birds of California Birds of Oregon Birds of Washington

By family

Auks, Murres & Puffins of Canada Auks, Murres & Puffins of Japan Auks, Murres & Puffins of Mexico Auks, Murres & Puffins of the United States Auks, Murres & Puffins of British Columbia Auks, Murres & Puffins of Yukon Territory Auks, Murres & Puffins of Alaska Auks, Murres & Puffins of California Auks, Murres & Puffins of Oregon Auks, Murres & Puffins of Washington

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The Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata) is a member of the Alcidae family found in Europe & Northern Asia and North America. Adults weigh 536 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

Conservation status

IUCN Red List

LC Least Concern

Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.

Where it fits

Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Alcidae Auks
Genus Fratercula
Species corniculata

Where it lives

Arctic to temperate North Pacific coasts: Wrangel I. (north of northeastern Siberia), Beaufort Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, Sakhalin, Kamchatka, Kuril and Commander is. (eastern Russia), Bering Sea is., Aleutian Is. and patchily northern, western, southern Alaska to British Columbia

Quick facts

Weight: 536 g
Diet: Aquatic hunters
Family: Alcidae
Order: Charadriiformes
Habitat: Wetland, lake & coast

How to identify

Similar birds

Least Concern

Tufted Puffin

Fratercula cirrhata

Least Concern

Spectacled Guillemot

Cepphus carbo

Least Concern

Rhinoceros Auklet

Cerorhinca monocerata

Least Concern

Common Murre

Uria aalge

Biology & behaviour

Diet

The Horned Puffin hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.

Behaviour

A bird of open sea and coastal waters, it swims and feeds in and around water.

Migration

The Horned Puffin is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.

The Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata) is a species of auks in the family Alcidae, order Charadriiformes. It is found in Europe & Northern Asia, North America — Arctic to temperate North Pacific coasts: Wrangel I. (n of ne Siberia), Beaufort Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, Sakhalin, Kamchatka, Kuril and Commander is. (e Russia), Bering Sea is., Aleutian Is. and patchily n, w, s Alaska to British Columbia.

Frequently asked questions

How big is the Horned Puffin?

The Horned Puffin is a large bird that weighs around 536 g.

Where does the Horned Puffin live?

The Horned Puffin is found across Europe & Northern Asia and North America with a range covering PAL, NA Arctic to temperate North Pacific coasts: Wrangel I. (n of ne Siberia), Beaufort Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, Sakhalin, Kamchatka, Kuril and Commander is. (e Russia), Bering Sea is., Aleutian Is. and patchily n, w, s Alaska to British Columbia, where it is associated with wetlands, lakes and other open water.

What family does the Horned Puffin belong to?

The Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata) belongs to the Alcidae family, in the order Charadriiformes.

What does the Horned Puffin eat?

The Horned Puffin hunts aquatic prey such as fish and aquatic invertebrates.

Does the Horned Puffin migrate?

The Horned Puffin is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.

Is the Horned Puffin endangered?

The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.

How large is the Horned Puffin's range?

The Horned Puffin has a mapped global range of about 1.5 million km².