Puffin Love: A Story of Beaks, Bonds, & Second Chances

Puffins are monogamous seabirds. After spending most of the year apart, male and female come together every summer to the same colony, nest and partner. Even though both members of the couple participate in the construction and renovation of their nest, normally the male is the one that arrives earlier and starts the spring cleaning to have everything ready for the female. And as one lady on one of our tours said, “as it should be”.

Puffins mate for life. However, after spending some time apart, they need to light up the flame of their love again. To do so, they rub their beaks together in an affectionate tapping motion. This beautiful behavior is called billing. It happens at the beginning of the season but also during the whole summer at the entrance of the burrow. However, it is also observed between neighbors, so it can also be a friendly gesture among puffins.

Male puffins have a very unique way to say to say I love you. They often make a pig-like grunt while head-bobbing during courtship displays to attract females. Head-bobbing is when a male puffin flicks its head back and forth, often accompanied by this guttural, pig-like grunt, to attract their mate.

But what happens if the partner doesn't return? Don’t worry, it is not the end of our little puffin. Puffins mate for life. However, if the partner doesn’t arrive it will likely attempt to re-pair with another puffin in the following breeding season. This usually involves finding a neighbor whose quality they've assessed over time, as they often share the same nesting burrow for years.