Feeding thumb|Atlantic puffin with fish Like many auks, puffins eat both fish and zooplankton but feed their chicks primarily with small marine fish several times a day. The puffins are distinct in their ability to hold several (sometimes over a dozen) small fish at a time, crosswise in their bill, rather than regurgitating swallowed fish. This allows them to take longer foraging trips since they can come back with more food energy for their chick than a bird that can only carry one fish at a time. This behavior is made possible by the unique hinging mechanism of their beak, which allows the upper and lower biting edges to meet at any of a number of angles.
Feeding thumb|Atlantic puffin with fish Like many auks puffins eat both fish and zooplankton but feed their chicks primarily with small marine fish several times a day The puffins are distinct in their ability to hold several (sometimes over a dozen) small fish at a time crosswise in their bill rather than regurgitating swallowed fish This allows them to take longer foraging trips since they can come back with more food energy for their chick than a bird that can only carry one fish at a time This behavior is made possible by the unique hinging mechanism of their beak which allows the upper and lower biting edges to meet at any of a number of angles