Where Do Puffins Go in Winter? A Focus on North European Populations and Yorkshire Coast Puffins

Atlantic puffins Fratercula arctica, with their vibrant beaks and clown-like faces, are iconic seabirds of the North Atlantic. Each summer, they captivate visitors along the Yorkshire coast, particularly at colonies like Bempton Cliffs, where thousands breed. But as autumn arrives, these charismatic birds vanish from their coastal haunts, leaving many to wonder: where do puffins go in winter? This blog post explores the wintering habits of North European puffin populations, with a special focus on those from Yorkshire, drawing on scientific literature to uncover their movements and whether age or breeding populations influence their winter destinations.

Puffins in Winter: A Life at Sea

Puffins are true pelagics outside the breeding season, after leaving their colonies in late summer, they embark on a remarkable journey, spending the entire winter at sea. For North European puffins, including those breeding along the Yorkshire coast, this means dispersing across the North Atlantic, far from land, where they feed, moult, and prepare for the next breeding season.

Recent advancements in tracking technology, such as geolocators and satellite tags, have revolutionised our understanding of puffin wintering areas. Studies reveal that puffins from different colonies, including those in the UK, exhibit varied wintering strategies, influenced by factors like colony location, oceanographic conditions, and individual characteristics.

Puffins are well adapted to life on the sea and only really spend a short amount of time on land whilst breeding. These hardy little birds spend the winter on the high seas.

Yorkshire Coast Puffins: Wintering Patterns

Puffins breeding on the Yorkshire coast, particularly at Bempton Cliffs, are part of the western North Atlantic population, which includes colonies across the UK, Ireland, and Norway. A seminal study by Harris et al. (2013) used geolocators to track puffins from the Isle of May, a colony in eastern Scotland, providing insights applicable to nearby Yorkshire populations due to their shared North Sea proximity. The study found that puffins from this region wintered primarily in the open North Atlantic, with some birds venturing as far west as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and others remaining closer to the European continental shelf.

For Yorkshire puffins, wintering areas likely span the North Sea and extend into the northern and western Atlantic. A study by Jessopp et al. (2013) on UK puffins suggests that birds from western UK colonies, including those potentially overlapping with Yorkshire populations, often winter in areas south of Iceland and west of the UK, where prey like sandeels and herring are abundant. These regions, characterizsed by productive waters, support puffins’ high-energy demands during winter, when they undergo a complete molt, including their colourful beak plates.

However, precise data on Yorkshire puffins’ wintering grounds remain limited. The Bempton Cliffs colony, part of the Flamborough and Filey Coast Special Protection Area, hosts around 12,000 puffins annually (RSPB, 2025). While no dedicated tracking studies focus solely on this population, their proximity to tracked colonies like the Isle of May suggests similar wintering ranges, adjusted for regional ocean currents and prey availability.

Do Different Ages Winter in Different Areas?

Age plays a significant role in puffin wintering behaviour. Juvenile puffins, which do not return to breed until they are 4–6 years old, exhibit distinct patterns compared to adults. According to Harris and Wanless (2011), immature puffins from UK colonies, including those in the North Sea region, tend to disperse more widely during their first few winters. Geolocator data indicate that juveniles may venture further south, reaching areas near the Bay of Biscay or even the western Mediterranean, possibly due to less fidelity to specific feeding grounds or exploratory behavior.

In contrast, adult puffins show greater site fidelity, often returning to consistent wintering areas year after year. A study by Fayet et al. (2017) on puffins from Skomer Island, Wales, found that adults wintered in relatively stable regions of the Atlantic, suggesting that experience and knowledge of productive foraging areas guide their movements. For Yorkshire adults, this could mean a preference for familiar North Atlantic waters, while younger birds from the same colony explore broader ranges.

Do Different Breeding Populations Winter in Different Areas?

Breeding populations across North Europe display some segregation in wintering areas, driven by colony location and oceanographic factors. Puffins from Norwegian colonies, such as those on Røst, winter primarily in the Norwegian Sea and northern North Atlantic, closer to their breeding grounds, as shown by Anker-Nilssen et al. (2017). In contrast, puffins from western UK colonies, like those in Wales or western Scotland, often disperse further west or south, overlapping with Yorkshire birds in some areas but diverging in others.

For Yorkshire puffins, their position on the North Sea coast places them at a crossroads. They are most likely to share wintering grounds with eastern Scottish colonies in the North Sea although some may potentially align with western UK populations heading toward the Atlantic. A study by Frederiksen et al. (2016) highlights that colony-specific wintering areas are influenced by local prey dynamics and ocean currents, suggesting that Yorkshire puffins may favor areas where North Sea currents converge with Atlantic waters, optimising foraging opportunities.

Challenges and Future Research

Despite these insights, gaps remain in our knowledge of Yorkshire puffins’ wintering habits. Tracking studies are costly and logistically challenging, and small sample sizes limit generalisations. Climate change further complicates matters, as shifting prey distributions and ocean temperatures may alter traditional wintering areas. For example, Leat et al. (2021) note that warming waters in the North Sea could push puffins to seek new foraging grounds, potentially affecting Yorkshire populations.

Future research should prioritize geolocator deployment on Bempton Cliffs puffins to confirm their wintering ranges and assess age-specific differences. Citizen science initiatives, such as reporting puffin sightings at sea, could also complement tracking data, providing a broader picture of their winter ecology.

Conclusion: The Mysterious Winter Journey of Yorkshire Puffins

Puffins from the Yorkshire coast, like their North European counterparts, embark on an extraordinary winter journey across the North Atlantic, trading coastal cliffs for vast oceanic expanses. While adults likely return to familiar feeding grounds in the North Sea, juveniles explore wider ranges, from the Bay of Biscay to northern waters. Different breeding populations show some segregation, with Yorkshire puffins occupying a unique niche influenced by their North Sea location.

As we marvel at these seabirds each summer, their winter lives remain a testament to their resilience and adaptability. Continued research, grounded in scientific literature and enhanced by technology, will further illuminate the secret winter destinations of Yorkshire’s beloved puffins, ensuring their conservation for generations to come.

References

• Anker-Nilssen, T., et al. (2017). Seabird population trends and causes of change: 1986–2016. Seabird, 30, 1–25.

• Fayet, A. L., et al. (2017). Ocean-wide drivers of migration strategies in a marine predator. Current Biology, 27(20), 3116–3122.

• Frederiksen, M., et al. (2016). Climate-driven changes in seabird distributions and their implications for conservation. Journal of Applied Ecology, 53(3), 601–609.

• Harris, M. P., & Wanless, S. (2011). The Puffin. T & AD Poyser.

• Harris, M. P., et al. (2013). Geolocator tagging reveals puffin migration routes and wintering areas. Journal of Avian Biology, 44(5), 453–460.

• Jessopp, M. J., et al. (2013). Foraging ecology and winter movements of Atlantic puffins from UK colonies. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 491, 285–296.

• Leat, E. H., et al. (2021). Climate change impacts on seabirds: Challenges for conservation. Biological Conservation, 254, 108894.