Bird experts say that Europe’s oldest known puffin has been found on the Shiant Islands in the Hebrides.
The puffin was first ringed 34 years ago and was found by the same ornithologist, Ian Buxton, who ringed it back in June 1975. Members of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) have been ringing birds on the Shiant Islands for many years to add to scientific data on the species.
After years of poor breeding patterns, the BTO is reporting that the puffins on the Shiant Islands appear to be having a good breeding season, bringing in plenty of sand eels for their young.
Previously the oldest puffin in Europe that had been discovered was a 33 year old bird. Experts say that the birds can live for a long time and it might be possible to find a bird ringed in 1970 which would make that specimen at least 39 years old.