Juveniles have all-dark bills. As the bird ages, the bill grows larger and acquires more grooves. A tufted puffin is the largest species and most distinctive in appearance. A tufted puffin is all ...

But it’s far more than decorative. Puffin beaks are specially adapted with grooves and spines (denticles) that allow them to carry multiple small schooling fish at a time without dropping any. This is ...

Puffin strandings during the fledgling season ... colorful beak as it takes about 4-5 years for the beak to enlarge and develop grooves, and the number of grooves gives an indication of the ...