Tufted Puffin Conservation in the Pacific Northwest

Over the last century, the Tufted Puffin’s southern population along the Pacific Northwest’s coast has experienced a significant decline. In the 1900s, breeding grounds from northern California up through British Columbia hosted over 20,000 birds; in 2019 the estimate was less than 2,000 Tufted Puffins – an order of magnitude decline in just 4 decades. The Tufted Puffin is listed in Washington State as Endangered, in Oregon as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need, and in California as Species of Special Concern.

To address this decline, National Audubon’s Seabird Institute is leading a collaborative process, supporting key players representing federal and state agencies, nonprofits, and universities in implementing conservation actions to help this iconic seabird. The Tufted Puffin Conservation Working Group seeks to increase communication and collaboration, leverage resources and capacity for priority conservation actions, and share data and lessons learned.

Though there are several data gaps related to Tufted Puffins in the Northwest – including the reason for their decline, the location of their wintering grounds, and the actual number of active burrows and breeding pairs – Working Group members are simultaneously working to find answers while also employing conservation experiments – including social attraction projects, aerial assessments of habitat, bill-load photography, and monitoring of the species during their breeding season.

In Spring of 2025, a subset of the Working Group focused on Oregon, created Oregon’s first Conservation Action Plan for the Tufted Puffin. The plan’s 10-year goal - to ‘halt the decline’ - is supported by a series of priority actions group under five objectives: 1) Research; 2) Restoration & Management; 3) Policy Engagement; 4) Education and Outreach; and 5) Collaboration and Coordination.

Together, we are working to protect active Tufted Puffin colonies; identify and reduce threats; engage and educate the public, and establish and maintain a viable, resilient Tufted Puffin population throughout the California Current.