# Atlantic puffin (*Fratercula arctica*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/atlantic-puffin  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a species in the family Alcidae, order Charadriiformes. Recorded adults weigh about 376 g. It has been recorded in 34 countries, most often in United Kingdom, United States and Norway. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 376 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Height | 27.9 cm |
| Wingspan | 55 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Recorded in | 34 countries |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Charadriiformes
- family: Alcidae
- genus: Fratercula
- species: *Fratercula arctica* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Alca arctica*

## Where it has been recorded

Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF (records in brackets). Recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

United Kingdom (95799), United States (26436), Norway (20869), Canada (17975), Iceland (15087), Faroe Islands (14128), Sweden (6287), Svalbard & Jan Mayen (4475), Ireland (4320), Spain (2091), France (2031), Russia (801), Greenland (648), Portugal (501), Netherlands (376), St. Pierre & Miquelon (373), Isle of Man (371), Denmark (281), Belgium (164), Germany (141), Guernsey (84), Jersey (65), Finland (34), Italy (32), Gibraltar (30), Morocco (21), Bermuda (9), Poland (4), Tanzania (2), Western Sahara (1), Israel (1), Lithuania (1), New Zealand (1), Trinidad & Tobago (1)

## Common questions

### How big is the Atlantic puffin?

An adult Atlantic puffin weighs 376 g, stands 27.9 cm tall and has a wingspan of 55 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

### Where does the Atlantic puffin live?

The Atlantic puffin has openly licensed sighting records from 34 countries on GBIF. The most records come from United Kingdom, United States, Norway, Canada and Iceland. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

### Is the Atlantic puffin endangered?

The Atlantic puffin is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

### What kind of animal is the Atlantic puffin?

The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) belongs to the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes.

## Sources

- [GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/dataset/d7dddbf4-2cf0-4f39-9b2a-bb099caae36c), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org.
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0 1.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata, the free knowledge base.
- [GBIF occurrence aggregates (CC0 and CC BY records only)](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF.org occurrence search, country facet counts restricted to CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 records.
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/), Per file, live API 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Licence and creator recorded per file.
- [English Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/), CC BY-SA 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Cite as: Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/atlantic-puffin