{"id":1076,"date":"2025-07-02T21:27:44","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T21:27:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/?p=1076"},"modified":"2025-07-02T21:27:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T21:27:45","slug":"the-best-destinations-to-see-the-clowns-of-the-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/02\/the-best-destinations-to-see-the-clowns-of-the-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Destinations to See the \u201cClowns of the Sea\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"677\" src=\"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/b1-1024x677.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1074\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/b1-1024x677.png 1024w, https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/b1-300x198.png 300w, https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/b1-768x507.png 768w, https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/b1-1536x1015.png 1536w, https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/b1.png 1686w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Puffins are a lot like penguins: among the most beloved, iconic and recognizable seabirds \u2013 yet occupying the opposite ends of the planet in some of the most remote regions of the Earth. So seeing either of them in the wild is a magical travel experience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike tuxedoed penguins with their mostly monochrome coloring, puffins are often called the \u201cclowns of the sea\u201d for their vivid, almost carnival mask-like countenance that livens up their pudgy, black-and-white bodies, not to mention their endearing facial expressions.&nbsp;That\u2019s not all that makes these seabirds unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Puffin Particulars<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Three Species of Puffins: We think of puffins as being residents of the North Atlantic, and the Atlantic puffin is the standard-bearer of the species. It can be found as far north as the Arctic Circle. But other types, including the tufted puffin and horned puffin, are found in the North Pacific.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Spend Most of Life at Sea:<\/strong>\u00a0Puffins are \u201cpelagic\u201d and only return to land to breed, usually just a few months per year. Their breeding grounds seem ill-chosen: often rocky, seaside cliffs that look inhospitable and not the best place to raise a family!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unusual Nesting Habits:<\/strong>\u00a0Puffins dig burrows in grassy clifftops or use rock crevices to lay a single egg. They\u2019re surprisingly good diggers, using their beaks and feet.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expert Swimmers and Flyers<\/strong>: Puffins \u201cfly\u201d underwater by flapping their wings to pursue small fish. They can also fly in the air at up to 55 mph, beating their wings 400 times per minute, defying their shape, which doesn\u2019t look very aerodynamic at all!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Beak Can Hold Multiple Fish<\/strong>: Thanks to a special hinge in their beak and spiny tongue, puffins can carry 10 or more fish crosswise at once without dropping any\u2014ideal for feeding chicks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Those Signature, Colorful Beaks<\/strong>: During breeding season, puffins display vividly colored orange, yellow, and blue beaks. But \u2013 fun fact &#8211; the color fades in winter, as the outer layers shed. So breeding season is the best time to see the puffin in full color, the way you imagine them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nicknames:<\/strong>\u00a0In addition to \u201cClowns of the Sea,\u201d puffins are also dubbed \u201cSea Parrots\u201d for those technicolor beaks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Monogamous and Loyal<\/strong>: Puffins often reunite with the same mate at the same burrow year after year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Conservation Challenges:<\/strong>\u00a0In some areas, puffin populations are declining due to climate change, overfishing (reducing their food supply), and invasive predators like rats on nesting islands.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>*** Of course, if we are fortunate enough to get to see puffins in the wild, we want to make sure our travel experience doesn\u2019t harm the puffins, especially since our best chances of seeing puffins are when the birds come ashore during the critical breeding season.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/b2-1024x684.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1075\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/b2-1024x684.png 1024w, https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/b2-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/b2-768x513.png 768w, https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/b2-1536x1026.png 1536w, https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/b2-1140x761.png 1140w, https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/b2.png 1740w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where to See Puffins in the Wild<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best Time for Puffin-Viewing:<\/strong>&nbsp;Late spring to early summer (May\u2013August) during the breeding season when they come ashore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Where to Find Atlantic Puffins<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Iceland:<\/strong>\u00a0Home to the largest puffin population in the world. Try L\u00e1trabjarg cliffs in the Westfjords or the Westman Islands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Scotland:<\/strong>\u00a0Particularly on the Isle of Staffa, the Treshnish Isles, and Fair Isle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ireland:<\/strong>\u00a0Skellig Michael and the Cliffs of Moher.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Norway:<\/strong>\u00a0Runde Island is a great spot.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Newfoundland, Canada:<\/strong>\u00a0Witless Bay Ecological Reserve near St. John&#8217;s is a top destination.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Where to Find Pacific Puffins (Tufted and Horned Puffins)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Alaska:<\/strong>\u00a0Best seen in Kenai Fjords, Kodiak Island, and the Pribilof Islands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>British Columbia, Canada:<\/strong>\u00a0Haida Gwaii and coastal areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>U.S. Pacific Northwest<\/strong>: Oregon\u2019s Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach is a well-known nesting site.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">START YOUR TRIP!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>By: Lynn Elmhirst, cruise\/travel journalist and expert.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Images: Getty<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>All rights reserved. You are welcome to share this material from this page, but it may not be copied, re-published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Puffins are a lot like penguins: among the most beloved, iconic and recognizable seabirds \u2013 yet occupying the opposite ends of the planet in some of the most remote regions of the Earth. So seeing either of them in the wild is a magical travel experience.&nbsp; Unlike tuxedoed penguins with their mostly monochrome coloring, puffins are often called the \u201cclowns of the sea\u201d for their vivid, almost carnival mask-like countenance that livens up their pudgy, black-and-white bodies, not to mention their endearing facial expressions.&nbsp;That\u2019s not all that makes these seabirds unique. Puffin Particulars Three Species of Puffins: We think of puffins as being residents of the North Atlantic, and the Atlantic puffin is the standard-bearer of the species. It can be found as far north as the Arctic Circle. But other types, including the tufted puffin and horned puffin, are found in the North Pacific.&nbsp; *** Of course, if we are fortunate enough to get to see puffins in the wild, we want to make sure our travel experience doesn\u2019t harm the puffins, especially since our best chances of seeing puffins are when the birds come ashore during the critical breeding season.&nbsp; Where to See Puffins in the Wild Best Time for Puffin-Viewing:&nbsp;Late spring to early summer (May\u2013August) during the breeding season when they come ashore. Where to Find Atlantic Puffins Where to Find Pacific Puffins (Tufted and Horned Puffins) START YOUR TRIP! By: Lynn Elmhirst, cruise\/travel journalist and expert.&nbsp; Images: Getty All rights reserved. You are welcome to share this material from this page, but it may not be copied, re-published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-outdoor-activities"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1076"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1077,"href":"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1076\/revisions\/1077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wanderfullworldtravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}