A team of animal experts observed two Atlantic puffins, more than 1,000 miles apart, spontaneously scratching themselves with sticks — the first time wild seabirds have been spotted using tools, according to new findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It’s exciting for a few reasons, author Annette Fayet said: It…
via 2 Puffins Use Sticks to Scratch Their Itches, the 1st Evidence That Seabirds Can Use Tools — KTLA
One of the most beloved birds in Maine is having one of its most productive seasons for mating pairs in years on remote islands off the state’s coast. Atlantic puffins, with their colorful beaks and waddling walks, are one of New England’s best recognized seabirds. Maine is the only state in the U.S. where the…
via Puffins Fill Nesting Islands Off Coast of Maine Despite Challenges — KTLA
Climate change played a role in the deaths of thousands of puffins in Alaska, according to a study.
Scientists believe the birds starved to death when the fish they eat migrated north with rising sea temperatures.
The bodies of dead, emaciated puffins began washing up on beaches on Saint Paul Island in autumn 2016.
Up to 9,000 puffins and other seabirds died over the course of a few months, US scientists say.
And climate-driven shifts in fish populations, combined with the onset of moulting, may have caused this mass die-off.
“Mass mortality events are increasing in frequency and magnitude, potentially linked with ongoing climate change,” researchers led by Timothy Jones of the University of Washington, Seattle, wrote in the journal Plos One.
via Climate change link to puffin deaths — BBC News – Science & Environment
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