Found along the rocky coasts and offshore islands of Atlantic Canada, the Atlantic puffin is a small, striking seabird often called the "clown of the sea" for its colourful, oversized bill. Each spring the puffin returns to land to breed, gathering in dense colonies on islands off Newfoundland and Labrador. Despite its rather comical appearance, the puffin is a powerful flier and an even stronger swimmer. Once heavily hunted for its meat, eggs, and feathers, the bird was driven from many of its former colonies before protection efforts allowed several populations to slowly recover.

The puffin's most remarkable feature is its bill, which changes through the year. During the breeding season the bill grows a bright orange, yellow, and blue plate that the birds use to attract a mate; once the season ends, the colourful outer plate is shed and the bill becomes smaller and duller. The same bill is also a clever tool for fishing. A puffin can hold a dozen or more small fish crosswise in its beak at one time, thanks to a rough, hinged tongue and backward-pointing spines on the roof of its mouth that grip each fish while the bird catches the next.