BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report
Fratercula cirrhata
Tufted Puffin
| Scientific Name: | Fratercula cirrhata |
|---|---|
| English Name: | Tufted Puffin |
| Provincial Status Summary | |
| Status: | S3B,S4N |
| Date Status Assigned: | April 27, 2023 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | April 27, 2023 |
| Reasons: | There are large numbers of birds concentrated in few colonies and local declines. |
| Range | |
| Range Extent: | F = 20,000-200,000 square km |
| Range Extent Comments: | Although breeding pairs are distributed all along the outer coast of British Columbia, major breeding colonies are restricted to the Scott Islands, Solander Island, and Haida Gwaii (Campbell et al. 1990). |
| Area of Occupancy (km2): | E = 26-125 |
| Area of Occupancy Estimate (km2): | 112 square km |
| Area of Occupancy Comments: | 28 grid squares are currently occupied by breeding birds. |
| Occurrences & Population | |
| Number of Occurrences: | C = 21 - 80 |
| Comments: | Tufted Puffins nest at 28 sites (down from historical 43 sites) in British Columbia (Rodway et al. 2016; Blight and McClelland 2022), but only 10 of these support nesting colonies of more than 100 breeding birds. Approximately 87% of the total population breeds on Triangle Island and the other Scott Islands (Campbell et al. 1990). |
| Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: | DE = 13 to >40 |
| Comments: | The majority of breeding birds in the large colonies are within protected areas, including the major colony at Triangle Island (Anne Vallee Ecological Reserve and Scott Islands Provincial Park). Other colonies are protected in Ecological Reserves (Sartine Island, Bereford Island, Solander Island, Vargas Island, Cleland Island), Provincial Parks (Scott Islands, Brooks Peninsula), and the Gwaii Haanas National Park. The Marble Island colony is not protected. |
| Population Size: | F = 10,000 - 100,000 individuals |
| Comments: | The breeding population in British Columbia is estimated at 78,600 (Rodway et al. 2016). |
| Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected) | |
| Degree of Threat: | C = Medium |
| Comments: | The species is moderately threatened by introduced predators, oil spills, gill-nets, and human disturbance. Predation by introduced mammals has extirpated colonies in Alaska (Byrd et al. 1993), and introduced rats on Langara, Kunghit, and St. James islands are a long-term threat to Tufted Puffin colonies there (Bailey and Kaiser 1993). Because few offspring are produced in warm-water years, the species may be vulnerable to climatic changes over the long-term (Hipfner 2015), but single severe climate years do not seem to affect the overall population (Morrison et al. 2011). |
| Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences) | |
| Short-Term Trend: | G = Relatively Stable (<=10% change) |
| Comments: | Generation time has been estimated at 9.596 years (Bird et al. 2020), therefore the 3 generation time for short term trend is 28.787 years. Overall population trend is poorly understood, but considered stable. Blight and McClelland (2022) summarized the historical accounts from the islands around Vancouver Island from Triangle Island in the north, south to Mandarte Island in the south. They document abandonment at 2 colonies since 1992, but both of these colonies were very small. There has been a small decline in the overall range extent, area of occupancy and number of occurrences in the last 3 generations. |
| Long-Term Trend: | FG = Decline of <30% to relatively stable |
| Comments: | Overall population trend is poorly understood due to lack of systematic surveys (Blight and McClelland 2022), complicated by remote locations and difficult access (Hipfner 2015), although local declines have been documented (Rodway et al. 2016). Piatt and Kataysky (2020) summarized available trend information for North America and found the species to be increasing in the northern part of the range (Alaska) and decreasing in the southern portions (Washington, Oregon and California). In general decreases were more severe the further south the breeding colony was located. The two British Columbia sites they had data for showed 1 and 10 percent declines. Survey plots on Triangle Island have shown no discernable trend in numbers (literature reviewed in Rodway et al. 2016 and Piatt and Katayski 2020). Blight and McClelland (2022) summarized the historical accounts from the islands around Vancouver Island from Triangle Island in the north, south to Mandarte Island in the south. They document abandonment at 9 colonies prior to 1992 and likely abandonment at another 3 but all but one of these were small colonies of 1-3 pairs. The one slightly larger colony of 20-50 pairs has also been abandoned. Rodway et al. (2016) indicate that another 4 small colonies on islands around Haida Gwaii and the north coast have been abandoned, but again, these are all small colonies and have little impact on overall trends. There has been a decline in the overall range extent, area of occupancy and number of occurrences even if a decline in population numbers can not be shown. |
| Other Factors | |
| Intrinsic Vulnerability: | BC=Moderately vulnerable to not intrinsically vulnerable. |
| Comments: | One of the most widely distributed seabirds, breeds in a wide range of habitats. |
| Environmental Specificity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Other Rank Considerations: | |
| Information Gaps | |
| Research Needs: | |
| Inventory Needs: | |
| Stewardship | |
| Protection: | |
| Management: | |
| Version | |
| Author: | Fraser, D.F. (2023) Ramsay, L.R. and B. Niedzielski and S. Cannings (2015) |
| Date: | February 05, 2023 |
| References | |
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Bailey, E.P., and G.W. Kaiser. 1993. Impacts of introduced predators on nesting seabirds in the northeast Pacific. Pages 218-226 in K. Vermeer, K. Briggs, K. Morgan, and D. Seigel-Causey, eds. The status, ecology and conservation of marine birds in the North Pacific. Can. Wildl. Serv. Spec. Publ., Ottawa, ON.
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Bird, J., R. Martin, H.R. Akçakaya, et al. 2020. Generation lengths of the world?s birds and their implications for extinction risk. Conservation Biology 34:1252?1261.
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Blight, L.K. and G. McClelland. 2022. Historical distribution and current population status of Tufted Puffins Fratercula cirrhata in Canada's California Current System. Marine Ornithology 50: 35-42.
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Byrd, G.V., E.C. Murphy, G.W. Kaiser, A.Y. Kondratyev, and Y.V. Shibaev. 1993. Status and ecology of offshore fish-feeding alcids (murres and puffins) in the North Pacific. Pages 176-186 in K. Vermeer, K. Briggs, K. Morgan and D. Seigel-Causey, eds. The status, ecology, and conservation of marine birds in the North Pacific. Can. Wildl. Serv. Spec. Publ., Ottawa, ON.
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Campbell, R.W., N.K. Dawe, I. McTaggart-Cowan, et al. 1990b. The Birds of British Columbia Vol. 2: Nonpasserines: Diurnal Birds of Prey through Woodpeckers. Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, BC.
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Gjerdrum, C., A. M. J. Vallee, C. Cassady St. Clair, D. F. Bertram, J. L. Ryder, and G. S. Blackburn. 2003. Tufted Puffin reproduction reveals ocean climate variability. Proceedings of National Academy of Science 100:9377-9382.
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Hipfner, M. 2015c. Tufted Puffin in Davidson, P.J.A., R.J. Cannings, A.R. Couturier, D. Lepage, and C.M. Di Corrado (eds.). The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of British Columbia, 2008-2012. Bird Studies Canada. Delta, B.C.
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Morrison, K.W., Hipfner, J.M., Blackburn, G.S. et al. 2011. Effects of extreme climate events on adult survival of three Pacific auks Auk. 128(4):707?715.
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Piatt, J.F. and A. S. Kitaysky. 2020. Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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Rodway, M, R.W. Campbell and M.J. Lemon. 2016. Seabird Colonies of British Columbia ? a Century of Changes. Wildlife Afield 13:1 and 2. 298 pp.
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Rodway, M.S. 1991. Status and conservation of breeding seabirds in British Columbia. Pages 43-102 in J.P. Croxall, ed. Seabird status and conservation: a supplement. Int. Counc. for Bird Preservation Tech. Publ. No. 11. Cambridge. U.K.
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Smith, J. L. and K. H. Morgan. 2005. An assessment of seabird bycatch in longline and net fisheries in British Columbia. Technical Report Series No. 401, Canadian Wildlife Service, Pacific and Yukon Region, Delta, BC.
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for information on how the CDC determines conservation status ranks. For global conservation status reports and ranks, please visit the NatureServe website http://www.natureserve.org/.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2023. Conservation Status Report: Fratercula cirrhata. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 6, 2026).