I didn’t know this, but Iceland and the chain of islands around it, the Westman Islands, are home to the world’s largest puffin colony. In fact it is home to almost half of the world’s puffins….over 1.1 million burrows can be found buried beneath the soil of the islands.
Every April and into the late summer, the puffin colony are busy breeding and raising their chicks
Every summer local children living on the only inhabited chain of islands, Heimaey, form "pysja patrols" to save young birds that have wandered from their nests. It’s an annual event. They go out in patrols and pick up any wandering baby chicks, bring them to their homes overnight and return them to their nests the next day. This tradition has saved the lives of countless birds.
There was a time when puffins were hunted as a source of food on the islands, but when the population began to seriously decline, perspectives and habits changed. Now, the islanders revere the birds and use them as an icon, decorating street signs, advertisements and murals.
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