puffin

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puf·fin / ˈpəfən/ • n. a hole-nesting auk (genera Fratercula and Lunda) of northern and Arctic waters, with a large head and a massive brightly colored triangular bill, in particular the Atlantic puffin (F. arctica).

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

puffin

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puffin Small diving bird of the auk family (Alcidae), found in large colonies in the Northern Hemisphere. The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) has a short neck, a triangular bill with red, yellow and blue stripes, and reddish legs and feet. The puffin lays a single egg in a burrow c.1–2m (3.3–6.6ft) deep on a cliff. Length: c.30cm (12in).

World Encyclopedia

puffin

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puffin XIV. ME. poffo(u)n, pophyn; prob. f. PUFF.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

puffins

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puffins (Fratercula) See ALCIDAE.

A Dictionary of Zoology MICHAEL ALLABY

Fratercula

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Fratercula (puffins) See ALCIDAE.

A Dictionary of Zoology MICHAEL ALLABY

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Puffins

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