Why Puffin Birds Population are Decreasing?

Lonely Puffin bird

Puffin birds or Atlantic puffin birds (Fratercula arctica) look cute for me, because of their colors, especially multi colors of their bill.

They are found mainly in the colder areas such as:

- Iceland

- North West Europe

- Arctic fringes

- Eastern North America

- across Atlantic Ocean.

Unfortunately, Puffin birds population are decreasing in the last 15 years due to many factors.

Iceland has the most Puffin bird population in the world, experienced lost of million birds.

Birds were estimated to decrease, from 7 million of 15 years ago to 5 million only in the present time in Iceland alone.

The main causes are climate changes. Some experts said that over fishing is also lead to decreasing of Puffin birds population. 

Hunting of puffin birds in Iceland

(credit to Josh Haner, The New York Times).

Fishes and crustaceans are source of foods for Puffin birds, but the birds prefer fish than crustacean. The fish includes:

- sand eels

- herring

- hake

- capelin

Some of these small fishes are caught by commercial fishing, contributed to depletion of fish population, hence effect on bird’s food supply.

In case of Iceland that hunting is one of main causes to birds number. The Iceland and Faroe island people consume puffin birds.

As traditional cuisine, what Icelanders and Faroe islanders do with puffin birds:

- eat fresh heart of birds

- grill the bird

- smoke the meat

- consume bird’s eggs

However, declining of Puffin birds is every where, thus “the International Union for Conservation of Nature” had listed the birds as vulnerable (threaten to endanger in near future).

Have you seen Puffin birds? Where?