Two puffins with sand eels in their beaks, on their way to feed to their young. Taken on the Farne Islands just off the coast of Northumberland in the UK. Puffins are one of nature's most fascinating birds, measuring around 10 inches in length, they have barbed tongues that enable them to carry numerous fish in their beaks at a time (up to 20!). They can drink sea water as they have glands in their nostrils which filters the salt. They shed the colourful part of their beaks in winter which regrows the next spring in time for mating. Spending 8 months a year at sea (even sleeping on the sea!), they are monogamous and return to the same colony every year where they dig a burrow to lay their one egg and they raise their chick (or puffling) underground. Both parents take turns to incubate the eggs and to feed the chick. The can fly up to 55 mph, flapping their wings 400 times a minute! And, having webbed feet, they can also swim very well underwater and are able to dive down to over 195ft. Puffins in the wild have been known to live for up to 30 years!