The story of the bird
The Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) breeds on sea-cliffs from central California to the Aleutians and spends the non-breeding months entirely at sea, far offshore, invisible from land. In breeding plumage the bill is massive and orange-red, the face is clean white, and pale golden tufts extend behind the eye in long curved plumes that give the species its name. After breeding season the bill plates are shed, the tufts drop, and the bird becomes a stocky dark seabird with no easy field mark.
It swims underwater using its wings, not its feet, reaching depths of 70 metres in pursuit of fish. It can carry multiple fish crosswise in a serrated bill while still diving for more. A Tufted Puffin returning to its burrow with a bill-load of sand lance is one of the set-piece images of Pacific coastal wildlife.
The Audubon plate shows the bird in full breeding plumage: the golden tufts at full extension behind the white face, the orange-red bill against the white, the sooty-black body. The cream ground gives the white face and golden tufts their range of value.
Paper and finish
Unframed prints come on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308gsm, a heavyweight cotton rag with a soft matte surface and true archival life. The surface holds fine lines and subtle colour gradients without glare, which matters for Audubon-tradition work where the cream ground needs to read as paper, not as a white field. The framed option is set in a classic moulding, glazed and ready to hang, in black, white or natural.
Sizes
Three sizes: 8x10, 16x20 and 24x30 inches, or a high-resolution digital download at $9. Prints from $39. Framed from $99.
