2026-09-09 · Wildlife · Biology
The Puffin's Bill Isn't Always That Colour
For most of the year, an Atlantic puffin's bill is a dull grey-brown, barely distinct from the rest of its face. The bright orange, ridged bill most people picture only appears for the breeding season.
A seasonal plate, grown and shed
Ahead of breeding, puffins grow an outer keratin plate over the bill — layered in orange, yellow, and blue-grey — along with the bright orange eye markings that give the face its striking expression. Once the chicks have fledged, the birds moult, shedding the ornamental plate and returning to a plainer grey bill for the rest of the year.
Built for carrying, not just display
That oversized bill isn't just decorative — puffins use its shape and rough tongue-and-palate spines to grip multiple small fish at once, sometimes returning to a burrow with ten or more sand eels lined up crosswise in a single trip.
Why colony season is the only window
Because the bright bill only exists during breeding, close portraits like this are only possible for a narrow stretch of the year, when puffins gather on coastal cliffs and grassy slopes in dense colonies — and, briefly, look like an entirely different bird.