TNCWC79., originally uploaded by stonefaction.

Caption reads:

A baby Puffin about to be released into the outer Firth of Forth between the Isle of May and Anstruther. The bird was attempting to reach the water in the dark last night and got disorientated. The SNH folk on the island rescued it from being predated by the resident gulls and released it from the May Princess.

Would you have imagined there was violence amongst puffins? I wouldn’t! But that is exactly what was happening in a puffin colony in Scotland. A puffin now dubbed, ‘Asbo’ was caught on camera attacking a puffling for no apparent reason. He would go in and peck and kick at the little baby puffin.

It lends to the argument that social systems within the animal kingdom are much more complex than we can really fathom. Perhaps that baby was born of another male puffin, an old flame? Who knows what the real reason is for this puffin bully but I am glad to read that the puffling is ok and will most likely survive.

You can read the original story here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-10884574

When you’ve swooped 300 feet into the cold and murky depths of
the Atlantic for your dinner, you don’t give it up without a
fight.

Even when you’re a tiny puffin and the thieves outnumbering you
are three fiercesome black-headed gulls.

This plucky puffin, smaller than a pigeon, braved an ambush by
his hungry enemies to carry a beak full of tasty sand eels back to
his nest.

It is a scene which takes place every year on the Farne Islands
off the Northumberland coast.

read more | digg story

Predators are a natural part of life. And while uber adorable puffins also have predators. Each puffin has its own set of predators.

What are the puffin predators? What preys on Puffins?

Predators of the Atlantic puffin include people; gulls and skuas including the Great Black-backed Gull, the Great Skua, the Herring Gull amongst others; rats; cats; dogs; and foxes. Puffins are also vulnerable to pollution, fishing nets, declining fish populations, and global warming.

Predators of the Tufted Puffins include people, unfortunately. Tufted Puffins have three major predators the Snowy Owl, Bald Eagles and Arctic Foxes. They are also vulnerable due to decreasing fish population, ocean pollution and oil spills.

Predators of the Horned Puffin include people as well. Horned Puffins also are preyed upon by gulls, foxes, larger predatory birds and rats. Traffic, oil spills, ocean pollution, over-fishing and the resulting declining fish population as well as global warming are also affecting their survival rate.

Puffins do have some unique abilities to protect themselves from predators. Their bill is very hard and colorful to warn other animals of the pain it can cause. For predators flying above puffins blend into the water while swimming which they do more often than not. This is due to their black backs, heads and sides. Underwater, the puffin also has an advantage. The underwater predators are fooled by the puffin’s white bellies mistaking them for glimpses of the sun.