The Atlantic puffin is a species of seabird in the auk family.
It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean; two related species, the tufted puffin, and the horned puffin, are found in the northeastern Pacific.
This puffin has a black crown and back, pale gray cheek patches and white underparts. Its broad, boldly marked red and black beak and orange legs contrast with its plumage.
Like many seabirds, the Atlantic puffin spends most of the year far from land in the open ocean and only visits coastal areas to breed. It is a sociable bird and it usually breeds in large colonies.
In the spring, mature birds return to land, usually to the colony at which they were hatched. Birds that were removed as chicks and released elsewhere were found to show fidelity to their point of liberation.