Fratercula cirrhata
Silhouette: Richard Bartz (photo) and Albertonykus (silhouette) · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata), also known as crested puffin, is a relatively abundant medium-sized pelagic seabird in the auk family (Alcidae) found throughout the North Pacific Ocean. It is one of three species of puffin that make up the genus Fratercula and is easily recognizable by its thick red bill and yellow tufts.
Tufted puffins are around 35 cm (14 in) in length with a similar wingspan and weigh about three-quarters of a kilogram (1.6 lbs), making them the largest of all the puffins. Birds from the western Pacific population are somewhat larger than those from the eastern Pacific, and male birds tend to be slightly larger than females.
They are primarily black with a white facial patch, and, typical of other puffin species, feature a very thick bill, primarily red with some yellow and occasionally green markings. Their most distinctive feature and namesake are the yellow tufts (Latin: cirri) that appear annually on birds of both sexes as the summer reproductive season approaches. Their feet become bright red and their face is also bright white in the summer. During the feeding season, the tufts molt off and the plumage, beak, and legs lose much... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tufted Puffin sighting in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 179th most-seen of the 187 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tufted Puffin in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tufted Puffin sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Tufted Puffin sightings, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Kenai Fjords National Park (United States, about 60%), Olympic National Park (United States, under 5%) and Great Bear Rainforest (Canada, under 5%).
Same family: Alcidae
The closest relatives of the Tufted Puffin that you can see in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (family Alcidae, Auks, Murres, and Puffins) are Marbled Murrelet (about 20%), Pigeon Guillemot (about 10%) and Common Murre (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tufted Puffin is recorded against all the birds logged in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
