The colorful bird called the puffin lives in the Arctic waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It’s a cute but comical-looking little bird with its big, bright, red and black bill. Its white, puffy face is topped with a black cap. Add to this a body with a black collar and cape and stubby, orange legs and feet, and you have a very special looking bird!
The puffin is an expert swimmer and diver and is skillful at catching the fish it eats. Its beak can hold several fish crosswise while chasing and catching others. How does it do this? It has a raspy tongue and special spikes on the roof of its mouth that spear the fish and hold them firmly. They usually catch at least ten fish during each dive.
Puffins are fast fliers, flying up to 55 miles an hour! To do this, they flap their wings up to 400 beats a minute. But they typically only fly when they can see the ocean. That is their point of reference and the place where they collect their food. They are poor landers, often crashing into the ocean or rolling in the grass into any other puffin in the way!
Puffins are social creatures and nest in large colonies. One kind of puffin nests in burrows. Others build nests on cliffs where the female lays one white egg which both parents take turns incubating for six weeks. They often have burrows as well, for protecting their little chicks. Puffins keep the same mate for life.
While the chick is in the nest, it is fed a diet of fish. The parents feed their chick for 6 to 12 weeks, depending on how much fish is available. When it is large enough, the young bird goes to the edge of the cliff one night and flies straight out to sea, where it stays for two to five years. During this time, it fishes for its own food and matures into an adult. Then when it is old enough to have its own mate and chicks, it returns to the colony where it was hatched to continue the cycle of life. Puffins only return to land to have their young. While out at sea, puffins are very quiet, though they are quite chatty on land.
These cute birds give us a good example of the normal life of a family, like God created it to be in His goodness ... two parents staying together as long as they live and taking good care of their little chick. Many children never experience a stable and happy home life. If you do, are you thankful? And if you don’t, I hope you know the Lord Jesus, who created each of us and loves each with a special love. He is always ready and strong to take care of you. As our opening verse says, the Lord does not faint or grow weary. We are never so old that we don’t need His care.
Did You Know?
Puffins are poor landers, often crashing into the ocean or rolling in the grass into other puffins!
Messages of God’s Love 2/23/2025