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Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica
IUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Least Concern |
| 2009 | Least Concern |
| 2008 | Least Concern |
| 2004 | Least Concern |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | Average mass | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 1,620,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 17,900,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | Estimated | 2009 | |
| Population trend | Decreasing | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 21.6 | - | - | - |
| Trend justification: Populations are suspected to be declining rapidly through the combined impact of predation by invasive species, pollution, food shortages caused by the depletion of fisheries and adult mortality in fishing nets. | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | Native | No | |||
| Austria | Vagrant | No | |||
| Belgium | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Bermuda (to UK) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Canada | Native | No | |||
| Croatia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Denmark | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Estonia | Unknown | No | |||
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Native | No | |||
| Finland | Vagrant | No | |||
| France | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Germany | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Greenland (to Denmark) | Native | No | |||
| Hungary | Vagrant | No | |||
| Iceland | Native | No | |||
| Ireland | Native | No | |||
| Italy | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Latvia | Unknown | No | |||
| Lithuania | Unknown | No | |||
| Malta | Vagrant | No | |||
| Monaco | Unknown | No | |||
| Montenegro | Vagrant | No | |||
| Morocco | Native | No | |||
| Netherlands | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Norway | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Poland | Vagrant | No | |||
| Portugal | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (Central Asian) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Russia (European) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Serbia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Spain | Native | No | Yes | ||
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Sweden | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Tunisia | Native | No | |||
| United Kingdom | Native | No | Yes | ||
| USA | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Western Sahara | Unknown | No |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Baccalieu Island |  |
| Canada | Baie de Brador | |
| Canada | Gannet Islands | |
| Canada | Wadham Islands and adjacent Marine Area | |
| Canada | Witless Bay Islands | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Fugloy | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Hestur | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Kalsoy | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Koltur | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Lítla Dímun | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Mykines and Mykineshólmur | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Nólsoy | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Sandoy | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Skúvoy | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Stóra Dímun | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Streymoy | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Suduroy | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Svínoy | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Vágar | |
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Vidoy | |
| Gibraltar (to UK) | Strait of Gibraltar | |
| Greenland (to Denmark) | Assissut (Braendvinsskaerene) near Kronprinsens Ejland | |
| Greenland (to Denmark) | Islands and waters south and west of Upernavik town | |
| Greenland (to Denmark) | Islands west and north-west of Simiuttat and south of Qilangarsuit | |
| Greenland (to Denmark) | Nunatsiaq (Rotten) | |
| Greenland (to Denmark) | Qilangaarsuit and adjacent islands | |
| Iceland | Álftanes-Akrar | |
| Iceland | Breidafjördur | |
| Iceland | Grímsey | |
| Iceland | Látrabjarg | |
| Iceland | Papey | |
| Iceland | Skrúdur | |
| Iceland | Vestmannaeyjar | |
| Norway | Anda | |
| Norway | Bleiksøy | |
| Norway | Gjesværstappan | |
| Norway | Hjelmsøy | |
| Norway | Loppa | |
| Norway | Lovunden | |
| Norway | Nord-Fugløy | |
| Norway | Nykvåg | |
| Norway | Røst | |
| Norway | Runde | |
| Norway | Sør-Fugløy | |
| Norway | Værøy | |
| Russia (European) | Ainov islands | |
| Russia (European) | Gavrilovski archipelago | |
| Russia (European) | Seven islands | |
| United Kingdom | Coquet Island | |
| United Kingdom | Fair Isle | |
| United Kingdom | Farne Islands | |
| United Kingdom | Firth of Forth Islands | |
| United Kingdom | Flannan Isles | |
| United Kingdom | Foula | |
| United Kingdom | Hermaness, Saxa Vord and Valla Field | |
| United Kingdom | Shiant Isles | |
| United Kingdom | St Kilda | |
| United Kingdom | Sule Skerry and Sule Stack | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grassland | Subarctic | major | breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | major | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Rocky Shoreline | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Rocky Shoreline | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Tidepools | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Tidepools | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Oceanic | Epipelagic (0-200m) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Oceanic | Epipelagic (0-200m) | suitable | breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 0 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Threats & impact
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Whole (>90%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| |||||||||
| Climate change & severe weather | Temperature extremes | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| |||||||||
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food (human) | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Food (human) | Whole | Eggs | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Fratercula arctica. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 21/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 21/05/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
| Family | Alcidae (Auks) |
| Species name author | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Decreasing |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 1,620,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
| - Summary information on this species | |
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