Puffins are excellent seabirds, nesting on cliffs and making the most of the ocean by diving into the waves to catch fish in their brightly-coloured beaks.
The birds will dig a nesting burrow into the soil if possible, or find a sheltered ledge on the cliff-face to safely lay their eggs.
Puffins can be migratory, meaning that they travel to different locations depending on the season.
Let’s create our own flying puffin to soar above the cliff-faces created by your furniture, and dive towards the sea ‘floor’:
- Print or trace the puffin template found on this page.
- Colour it in, give your animals patterns and feathers.
- Cut out your puffin. Don’t forget to ‘release’ the circular hole for the string; see images.
- Fold your puffin along the middle and use glue to secure the body in place.
- Fold the wings down so that they stretch out to each side of the puffin. The coloured-in side will now be facing down.
- Cut out your wing tops and glue them onto the tops of your puffin wings. This second layer gives your wings strength and colour on top.
- Lastly, poke a hole through the loop (ask for a grown-up to help) and thread some string through.
Your puffin is now ready to hang and fly above your room!
Share your creations with us to be featured in our community gallery. Ask a grown-up to help you to tag us in your picture on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Museum of Zoology Blog 