Puffins are seabirds that feed primarily by diving into the water from coastal cliffs. Once baby puffins — called pufflings — reach maturity, they fly from their colony and spend several years at sea before eventually returning to land to breed. Residing in cliff-side nests, the pufflings use the light of the moon to guide them out to the ocean. However, due to increased building development on the coast of Iceland, some of the baby puffins get lost and head the wrong way, confusing human-made lights with moonlight. That’s where the residents of Vestmannaeyja step in. Residents of the island, located just off the southern coast of Iceland, flock to the cliffs with baby puffins in hand and toss them over the side. Sanctioned by local officials, the residents put on gloves and, holding flashlights and cardboard boxes poked with holes, they snatch up any baby puffins they come across. It’s common for residents to catch as many as 10 a night, with as many as 125 baby puffins caught in a season. In the morning, the volunteers head out to the cliffs and, with an underhand technique, launch the baby puffins off the cliff and toward the ocean. While technically you can just set them down on the edge and wait for them to take off by themselves, locals believe that giving them a helpful toss encourages them to fly out right away. The tradition has become crucial to the survival of the puffins. Puffins mate for life, incubating one singular egg per season with no guarantee of laying each year beyond that.
Iceland Encourages Locals To Throw Baby Puffins Off Cliffs
Puffins are seabirds that feed primarily by diving into the water from coastal cliffs. Once baby puffins — called pufflings — reach maturity, they fly from their colony and spend several years at sea before eventually returning to land to breed. Residing in cliff-side nests, the pufflings use the light of the moon to guide them out to the ocean. However, due to increased building development on the coast of Iceland, some of the baby puffins get lost and head the wrong way, confusing human-made lights with moonlight. That’s where the residents of Vestmannaeyja step in. Residents of the island, located just off the southern coast of Iceland, flock to the cliffs with baby puffins in hand and toss them over the side. Sanctioned by local officials, the residents put on gloves and, holding flashlights and cardboard boxes poked with holes, they snatch up any baby puffins they come across. It’s common for residents to catch as many as 10 a night, with as many as 125 baby puffins caught in a season. In the morning, the volunteers head out to the cliffs and, with an underhand technique, launch the baby puffins off the cliff and toward the ocean. While technically you can just set them down on the edge and wait for them to take off by themselves, locals believe that giving them a helpful toss encourages them to fly out right away. The tradition has become crucial to the survival of the puffins. Puffins mate for life, incubating one singular egg per season with no guarantee of laying each year beyond that.