Puffins are small birds that fish in the sea and live on coastal cliffs. In the breeding season their beaks become brightly coloured. They shed the colourful outer parts of their bills after the breeding season.

The way they fish is to dive into the water and scoop up fish from shoals as they swim.

They breed in large colonies, and nest among rocks or make shallow burrows in the soil.

They have a very stocky build, and their short wings make it easy for them to swim underwater. However, when in the air, their small wings mean that they have to beat them at up to 400 times a minute in order to fly.