Little Auk vs Atlantic Puffin
Alle alle compared with Fratercula arctica
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Little Auk | Atlantic Puffin |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Alle alle | Fratercula arctica |
| Order | Charadriiformes | Charadriiformes |
| Family | Alcidae | Alcidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Vulnerable |
| Length | — | 30.0 cm (11.8 in) |
| Wingspan | 23.2 cm (9.1 in) | 56.0 cm (22.0 in) |
| Weight | 170.0 g (6.00 oz) | 380.0 g (13.40 oz) |
| Diet | -- | Small fish, especially sand eels, herring, and capelin. Dives underwater using wings for propulsion, catching … |
| Clutch Size | 1 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Atlantic Puffin
Breeds on grassy cliff tops and offshore islands. Spends winter entirely at sea in the North Atlantic.
Song & Call Comparison
Little Auk
Atlantic Puffin
At burrow gives a low, moaning 'arr-arr-arr' growl. Silent at sea. At breeding colonies produces a series of grunting croaks. Chicks give soft peeping calls.
Geographic Range & Migration
Little Auk
Atlantic Puffin
North Atlantic from eastern Canada and northeastern United States to Iceland, Norway, and northwest Russia.
Conservation Status
Little Auk
Atlantic Puffin
How to Tell Them Apart
Little Auk
Atlantic Puffin
Black upperparts and white underparts with a distinctive white face. In breeding season, the face brightens and colourful bill plates develop. Winter plumage is duller with a darker face.
Large, laterally compressed, triangular bill — bright orange, blue, and yellow in breeding season
About These Birds
Little Auk
Little Auk (Dovekie), 17–19 cm, is abundant in the High Arctic, with hundreds of millions breeding in Greenland and Svalbard — one of the world's most numerous seabirds. Tiny, black and white, stubby-billed. Planktivore; dives for copepods. Winters at sea in the North Atlantic, often far offshore.
Atlantic Puffin
The Atlantic puffin, often called the clown of the sea, is a charismatic seabird that nests in burrows on northern sea cliffs. Puffins can carry up to a dozen fish crosswise in their beaks at once thanks to backward-facing spines on their palate. Climate change and overfishing are threatening their food supply, leading to population declines.