How to Identify Puffin in Maine

Atlantic Puffins have compact, stocky bodies about 11 to 13 inches long, with a striking black and white plumage pattern. The back, wings, and head are black, while the face and underside are white. The most distinctive feature is the large, triangular bill that is bright orange, yellow, and red during breeding season (June to August). This colorful bill is shorter and much thicker than a typical seabird bill. The legs and feet are also bright orange. Their white face and dark back create a sharp contrast that is visible from a distance. Eyes have a pale ring around them. In winter, the colorful bill fades and the face becomes less pure white, but puffins are rarely seen in Maine in winter.

Tufted Puffins are exceedingly rare in Maine waters (only 12 sightings recorded). When present, they differ from Atlantic Puffins by being slightly larger (13 to 15 inches), with dark gray (not pure white) underparts. Tufted Puffins also have a distinctive tuft of long, pale feathers that extends from the back of the head during breeding season, which gives them their name. The bill is proportionally larger and more massive than an Atlantic Puffin's. Unless you are actively birding off the Maine coast during peak season and have good binoculars, a Tufted Puffin sighting would be remarkable and worth documenting.

Atlantic Puffins make low, harsh croaking calls when they are near their burrows or colonies. The most common sound is a growling coo that is difficult to describe but distinctive once heard. These calls are generally not loud enough to be heard from a boat at a distance, but if you land on an island where puffins nest (which is restricted), you may hear them in the background. Most people identify puffins by sight rather than by sound when viewing from a tour boat. The calls help confirm puffin presence for birders who are allowed in nesting areas, but they are not a primary identification tool for most Maine visitors.

Atlantic Puffins are small to medium-sized seabirds. They are noticeably smaller than cormorants (which are 24 to 40 inches) but similar in size to auks and murres. If you see a seabird about the size of a robin but stockier and swimming in the ocean, and it has the black and white plumage and orange bill, it is almost certainly a puffin. Larger gulls (18 to 26 inches) are significantly bigger. Puffins' compact, rounded shape also sets them apart from more slender tern species. When viewing from a distance, the overall silhouette and size help narrow down the field.

Yes, puffins are diving seabirds that plunge underwater to chase small fish like sand eels and herring. Watching them dive is one of the most distinctive behaviors you might observe from a boat. They bob on the surface and then suddenly disappear below with a quick forward motion, using their wings to propel themselves underwater much like penguins do. A puffin at the surface often holds its wings close to its body and sits upright on the water. This diving behavior and their upright posture separate them from many other Maine seabirds and confirm identification from a distance.

Significant seasonal changes occur in Atlantic Puffins. During breeding season (June to August), their bills are brightly colored in orange, yellow, and red, and their faces are pure white. After they leave Maine waters and head back to sea in late summer and fall, the bright bill colors fade to dull gray and orange, and the white face becomes duller and may show more gray tones. Puffins are almost never seen in Maine in winter, so you will not encounter a winter-plumaged bird in state waters. By the time breeding season returns in June, their bright colors are back. This means that any puffin you see off Maine during the accessible season will show the distinctive bright coloring.

The Atlantic Puffin's bill during breeding season shows a striking gradient of orange, yellow, and red. The tip of the bill is often more orange, while the base can be yellow or show red tones. The face is white, the back of the head and neck are black, and the eye ring is pale gray or white. The legs and webbed feet are bright orange. This combination of bright bill, pure white face, and black back is almost impossible to miss once you are aware of it. No other seabird in Maine waters matches this exact color scheme.

Several other auk species occur in Maine waters, including razorbills and murres. Razorbills are slightly smaller than puffins (about 10 to 11 inches) with a black back and white underside, but they lack the distinctive orange bill and white face. Their bills are flattened and less colorful. Murres (Common and Thick-billed) are similar in size but more slender and lack the stocky build of puffins. Murres also lack the bright facial markings and bill colors. The puffin's combination of stocky shape, colorful bill, and pure white face make it distinctive among Maine auks. If you see a small black and white auk with a big, colorful orange bill, it is a puffin.

Atlantic Puffins in Maine are found in offshore waters, typically at least a half mile from shore and often several miles out. They are most common around rocky islands and ledges where they nest. Major nesting areas near Maine include Machias Seal Island and Matinicus Rock, though visitors generally view puffins from tour boats at a safe distance rather than landing on the islands. The birds you see from a mainland or tour boat vantage point will be in open water, often diving and surfacing in loose groups. During peak season (June to August), puffins spend their days at sea and return to their burrows on land at dusk.

Atlantic Puffins are gregarious and often occur in small to loose flocks, particularly during the breeding season. You may see anywhere from a handful of birds to dozens visible at once from a tour boat, depending on location and time. Historical puffin populations in Maine were much larger, but current populations are recovering following decades of persecution and habitat loss. Modern iNaturalist records from Maine document the birds in groups, but numbers per sighting vary widely. The presence of multiple individuals together is normal and expected during summer months.

When sitting on the water, Atlantic Puffins hold an upright, almost penguin-like posture with their short neck held straight and their rounded body appearing very compact. This posture is distinctive and sets them apart from more horizontal-sitting auks and from loons or grebes. Their short wings, held tight to the body when at rest, contribute to the stocky silhouette. From binoculars at moderate distance, this overall posture combined with the black and white coloring often allows quick identification even before details of the bill are visible. The upright bearing and rounded shape are the first clues that a small seabird is likely a puffin.