Horned Puffin
(Fratercula corniculata)

Overview

Summary

© Ted Krug
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In North America, Horned Puffins breed almost exclusively in Alaska. They are a rare breeder in Canada (<0.1% of the North American population; Piatt and Kitaysky 2002a) and data are insufficient to conclusively determine their population status relative to about 1970. However, various observations suggest that the Canadian population's abundance may have increased over this timeframe. Sightings during the pre-breeding season became increasingly numerous in the 1970s, the first breeding record was documented in 1977, and new breeding records have been obtained since. Still, the breeding population numbers only perhaps 60 individuals. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• Birds of North America Online
• British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas (2008-2012): Breeding Evidence
• BirdLife International / NatureServe

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation of world population

Conservation and management

Between the 1970s and 1990s, changing ocean conditions reduced the availability of preferred prey fish and contributed to population declines of Horned Puffins and other seabirds in Prince William Sound, Alaska (Piatt and Kitaysky 2002a). Horned Puffins in Canada might also be affected by changes in prey availability, but effects have not been documented. The small Canadian population nests primarily within protected areas: Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Anne Vallée (Triangle Island) Ecological Reserve.

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

• conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
• stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
• management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
• other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

References

• Campbell, R.W., N.K. Dawe, I. McTaggart-Cowan, J.M. Cooper, G.W. Kaiser, and M.C.E. McNall. 1990. The Birds of British Columbia, Nonpasserines: Diurnal Birds of Prey Through Woodpeckers. Vol. 2. Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, B.C..
• Piatt, J.F. and A.S. Kitaysky. 2002a. Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata). The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Piatt, J.F. and A.S. Kitaysky. 2002a. Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata). The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)
• Sealy, S.G. and R.W. Nelson. 1973. The occurrences and status of the Horned Puffin in British Columbia. Syesis 6:51-55.