puffin

views updated May 29 2018

puf·fin / ˈpəfən/ • n. a hole-nesting auk (genera Fratercula and Lunda) of northern and Arctic waters, with a large head and a massive brightly colored triangular bill, in particular the Atlantic puffin (F. arctica).

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

puffin

views updated May 29 2018

puffin Small diving bird of the auk family (Alcidae), found in large colonies in the Northern Hemisphere. The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) has a short neck, a triangular bill with red, yellow and blue stripes, and reddish legs and feet. The puffin lays a single egg in a burrow c.1–2m (3.3–6.6ft) deep on a cliff. Length: c.30cm (12in).

World Encyclopedia

puffin

views updated May 18 2018

puffin XIV. ME. poffo(u)n, pophyn; prob. f. PUFF.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

puffins

views updated May 21 2018

puffins (Fratercula) See ALCIDAE.

A Dictionary of Zoology MICHAEL ALLABY

Fratercula

views updated Jun 08 2018

Fratercula (puffins) See ALCIDAE.

A Dictionary of Zoology MICHAEL ALLABY

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Puffins

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