Why People Are Throwing Baby Puffins Off Cliffs in Iceland

Summary

Viral videos show volunteers saving baby puffins, or 'pufflings,' by throwing them off cliffs. Due to light pollution, pufflings struggle to find the ocean using moonlight, often landing on streets where they can't fly. Volunteers patrol for lost pufflings, capturing them and guiding them back to the sea. This practice is crucial for the survival of the species, as puffin populations have been declining rapidly.

Takeaways

• 🐧 Baby Atlantic puffins, known as Pufflings, hatch in barrels on high cliffs.
• 🌙 Pufflings rely on the moonlight to find the ocean, but light pollution disrupts this.
• 🚫 When Pufflings land on streets, their wings are too weak to take off from flat ground.
• 👥 Volunteers conduct 'puffling patrols' to find and help confused Pufflings.
• 🌊 Volunteers guide Pufflings back to the sea by gently throwing them off sea cliffs.
• 🇮🇸 In some Icelandic cities, this practice is a fun annual tradition.
• 🔬 A researcher told NPR that this practice is vital for the survival of puffins.
• 🥚 Puffins only incubate one egg per season, making each chick crucial for the population.
• 📉 Puffin populations have been rapidly decreasing in recent years.
• 💡 Saving Pufflings is a valuable step to mitigate human impacts on the species.

Q & A

What are baby Atlantic puffins commonly called?

Baby Atlantic puffins are commonly called 'Pufflings'.

Where do Pufflings typically hatch?

Pufflings typically hatch in barrels on high cliffs by the sea.

How do baby puffins usually find the ocean?

Baby puffins usually find the ocean using the light of the Moon.

What problem do Pufflings face due to light pollution?

Light pollution from cities makes it incredibly difficult for Pufflings to find the ocean using the Moon's light.

Why can't Pufflings fly off the ground when they land on streets?

Pufflings' wings are not strong enough to get them off the flat ground when they land on streets.

What is 'puffling patrol' and when does it occur?

Puffling patrol is when volunteers search for confused Pufflings, capturing them and guiding them back to the sea during the late summer months when puffins are typically leaving their burrows.

How do volunteers help Pufflings get back to the sea?

Volunteers help Pufflings by gently throwing them off a sea cliff to guide them back to the sea.

Why has the practice of guiding Pufflings to the sea become a tradition in some Icelandic cities?

The practice has become a tradition because it is seen as a fun annual event and is vital to the survival of the species.

How does the puffin population reproduce?

A pair of puffins incubate only one egg per season.

What has been the trend of the puffin population in recent years?

The puffin population has been rapidly decreasing in recent years.

How does the practice of saving Pufflings contribute to the species' survival?

Saving Pufflings is a valuable step in the right direction, although it can't entirely offset the negative impacts humans have had on the species.