In Iceland, locals are embracing a charming and essential tradition—rescuing baby puffins, known as pufflings, and tossing them off cliffs to guide them safely back to the ocean. Despite Iceland’s national bird being the majestic Gyrfalcon, it’s the puffin, often lovingly nicknamed the “Sea Parrot” or “Clown of the Sea,” that has captured the hearts of both residents and tourists alike. In particular, the small island community of Vestmannaeyjar, off Iceland’s southern coast, plays a critical role in this unique tradition.
The island, known as the Westman Islands, is only about five square miles in size but is home to a massive puffin colony, one of the largest in the world. Over half of the global puffin population resides in Iceland, and the Westman Islands play a pivotal role in ensuring their survival. Every year in late August or September, as the pufflings emerge from their nests, they often get confused by the bright city lights, mistaking them for the moon, which normally guides them to the ocean. Instead of flying out to sea, the disoriented birds land on streets, in gardens, and even in small crevices, where they become stranded.
In response, the entire community mobilizes to rescue these pufflings. The sight of families, children, and volunteers walking through town with cardboard boxes, gathering baby puffins, has become a heartwarming and cherished annual event. According to Kyana Sue Powers, an outdoor photographer, the pufflings’ wings are too weak to take off from the ground after landing in town. This leaves them vulnerable unless rescued by locals. These efforts, carried out mostly at night, involve gently placing the pufflings in boxes and keeping them safe until they can be released back into the wild the next day.
Releasing the pufflings during daylight is crucial. If released at night, the pufflings might become confused once again and return to town, continuing the cycle of disorientation. Instead, they are brought to cliffs before the sun sets, where they are thrown off and instinctively take flight toward the ocean. While the act of tossing baby puffins off cliffs may sound odd to outsiders, it is a key survival tactic for the birds. Researchers have discovered that puffins need to see the ocean to begin flying, and this dramatic leap off the cliff helps them reach the sea where they will spend most of their lives.
This practice has been vital for the survival of the puffin species, which faces numerous environmental threats. According to Rodrigo A. Martínez Catalán, a researcher at South Iceland Nature Research Center, puffins mate for life and only lay one egg per season, which makes their reproduction slow and vulnerable to failure. With declining fish populations, rising ocean temperatures, and light pollution, the species has been under threat. However, traditions like the annual puffling rescue help bolster the population’s chances of survival.
The puffins, or “lundi” as they are called locally, are small birds, measuring only around 29-34 cm in length. Despite their small size, they are excellent divers, capable of reaching depths of 60 meters underwater in search of food. Puffins live long lives, with many reaching up to 20 years, and they are known to return to the same burrow each year with their lifelong mate.
For the residents of Vestmannaeyjar, the puffling rescue is not just a way of life—it’s a community event that unites people of all ages. Children, in particular, are encouraged to participate, and it’s common to see them patrolling the streets with their families in the late evening hours. The search for stranded pufflings often begins around 9 p.m. and can continue into the early morning hours, sometimes lasting until 3 a.m. Each puffling that is found is carefully documented and added to a database that helps researchers track the population and health of the species.
The experience of releasing a puffling is both emotional and rewarding for first-time participants. For locals, it has become a routine part of life, but for visitors, it can be a deeply moving experience. Kyana Sue Powers described the feeling of watching a puffling take its first flight toward the ocean as a special moment. “It’s a great feeling because you just rescued this little guy. And when you bring him to the cliff, it’s the first time in his life he’s seeing the ocean, and he’s gonna live there for the next few years,” she shared. The birds, once released, will spend the next several years at sea before returning to land to breed.
The puffins' journey to the ocean is not without challenges. While in flight, puffins must flap their wings up to 400 times per minute to stay airborne. Although flying can be exhausting for them, they are incredibly skilled swimmers and divers, using their wings to "fly" underwater in pursuit of fish. Puffins primarily feed on small fish like herring and sand eels, and their diving skills make them one of the ocean’s more proficient hunters.
Unfortunately, puffins face an uncertain future due to several environmental factors. Rising sea temperatures, which affect fish populations, along with oil spills and light pollution, have created dangerous conditions for puffins worldwide. However, in the Westman Islands, the long-standing puffling rescue tradition gives hope to the puffin population. By ensuring that baby puffins safely make it to the ocean each year, the community helps protect these beloved birds from some of the most immediate threats to their survival.
For the puffins, the cliffs of Vestmannaeyjar provide a perfect launching point into the ocean, where they will thrive for years to come. For the residents of Vestmannaeyjar, the annual puffling rescue is not just about saving birds—it’s about preserving a way of life and a vital part of their natural heritage. As environmental threats to puffins grow, the efforts of this small community may play a significant role in ensuring the species’ continued survival.
In a world where many species face extinction due to human activity, the people of Vestmannaeyjar show that simple acts of kindness, tradition, and community can make all the difference. The puffling rescue is not only a beloved local tradition but also a reminder of the power of collective action in the face of environmental challenges. As long as the community remains dedicated to this annual event, the future of the puffins on the Westman Islands remains hopeful.