View source for Tufted puffin

=== Breeding ===
Breeding takes place on isolated islands: over 25,000 pairs have been recorded in a single colony off the coast of [[British Columbia]]. The nest is usually a simple burrow dug with the bill and feet, but sometimes a crevice between rocks is used instead. It is well-lined with vegetation and feathers. Courtship occurs through skypointing, strutting, and billing. A single [[Bird egg|egg]] is laid, usually in June, and incubated by both parents for about 45 days. The eggs are pure white or pale buff and are without gloss. They very often have barely perceptible shell markings of dull purplish color.<ref>{{Cite web |title=THE BIRD BOOK |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/30000/pg30000-images.html#Page_21}}</ref> [[Fledgling (birds)|Fledglings]] leave the nest at between 40 and 55 days.

Tufted puffins may be purely aquatic locomotive animals until they are three, living entirely as marine animals returning to shore only to breed on the nesting cliffs where they hatched. They tend to be well offshore when hatching.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

[[File:Tufted Puffin.jpg|thumb|Adult swimming at the [[Henry Doorly Zoo]]]]