Puffin

This squat, black-and-white bird has a bright red-and-black beak.

ECOLOGY

Environment cold coastlines
Organization solitary, pair, or colony (3–20)
Treasure none

These short-winged and short-tailed birds favor cold rocky islands. They dine primarily on fish. Their beak retains its color through the mating season, and then the color is shed off, revealing a smaller, muted beak.

Puffins are about a foot long and weigh close to 1 pound.