Penguin and Puffin are both well-known seabirds and somewhat similar to each other. They have physical differences. They belong to different families in the animal kingdom. They have different scientific names. They have different weights from which they can be differentiated. They are found in different locations. Penguin and Puffin have different abilities.
Penguin vs Puffin
The main difference between Penguin and Puffin is that Penguin does not have abilities to fly, but Puffin can fly. The scientific name of Penguin is Speheniscidae, but The scientific name for Puffin is Fratercula. Penguins are heavy than Puffin. They are found in different locations as per their habitat.
Penguins are flightless birds. They are available in 18 types of species. They belong to the Spheniscidae family of the animal kingdom. They cannot fly like other birds. They are heavy, due to which they cannot fly. They are found in South America and Antarctica. They do have wings, but they cannot fly due to their heavy weight.
Puffins share their family with other species of birds, such as auklets and murres. They belong to the Alcidae family of the animal kingdom. They can very well fly. They are not heavy like Penguins. Their height is mostly around 15 inches. They have four other species. They are also known as Fratercula.
Comparison Table Between Penguin and Puffin
| Parameters of Comparison | Penguin | Puffin |
| Family | Spheniscidae | Alcidae |
| Species | Eighteen | Four |
| Fly | No | Yes |
| Weight | Heavy | Less than Penguin |
| Known as | Spheniscidae | Fratercula |
| Found | Antarctica, South America | Northern Atlantic |
What is Penguin?
Penguins are birds that are also aquatic birds. They cannot fly, due to which they are flightless birds. They are generally found in the Sothern Hemisphere. They are available in eighteen other species. They love to swim, due to which they are great swimmers. They adapt to this water habit.
They are available in temperate zones and sometimes near the equator. Few species can survive in the southern hemisphere. Emperor penguin is the largest species available. The penguin, which is the smallest, is called a fairy penguin. These are also known as little blue penguins. They are found in Antarctica.
The penguins, which are large and heavy, are mostly found in the southern hemisphere because they can live in extreme conditions in the southern hemisphere. The Penguin word was used in the 16th century. It is sometimes used as a synonym for great auk. The word first appeared in Dutch or English.
The word can be related to the Latin word Pinguis. The word means oil or fat. The word is used differently in all other languages. Fettgans is a german word that means fat-goose. The dutch word is vegans, which means the same and is used for penguins. They are heavy.
What is Puffin?
Puffin is a bird who has a genus from Fratercula. They are always found in big colonies. They are mostly seen in offshore islands. They shed their outer parts during the breeding season. They do have the ability to fly. They are mostly black and white. They have large beaks which are bright in color.
They have an amazing ability to swim with their wings. They can fly underwater. They belong to the kingdom of Animalia. They have good speed due to which they can swim faster. They flow over the surface of the ocean. They flow low heights. They are heavier like Penguins.
The French zoologist Mathurin Brisson introduced the genus Fratercula. Atlantic puffin was somehow similar to the genus. Puffin means swollen. This word is an Anglo-Norman word. It has three species in the Fratercula genus. Puffins eat mostly fish. They also consume zooplankton. They can store the food in their beaks.
Beaks have an excellent hiding mechanism that helps them to store food while traveling. They store food to feed the small puffins who cannot store so much food. Puffins were hunted in ancient times. Their habitat got lost during the 19th century, due to which they cannot be found in their habitats.
Main Differences Between Penguin and Puffin
- Penguins come from the family of Spheniscidae, but Puffin comes from the family of Alcidae.
- Penguin is called Spheniscidae, but Puffin is called Fratercula.
- Penguins have 18 species, and Puffin has 4 species.
- Penguins cannot fly, but Puffin can fly.
- Penguins have heavier bodies than Puffin.
- Penguin is found in Antarctica, South America, but Puffin is found in the northern Atlantic.
Conclusion
Emperor penguin is the largest species available. The penguin, which is the smallest, is called a fairy penguin. It is sometimes used as a synonym for great auk. The dutch word is vegans, which means the same and is used for penguins. Penguins have 18 species, and Puffin has 4 species. The word means oil or fat.
The Penguin word was used in the 16th century. It is sometimes used as a synonym for great auk. The word means oil or fat. The word is used differently in all other languages. Fettgans is a german word that means fat-goose. The penguins, which are large and heavy, are mostly found in the southern hemisphere.
Puffin means swollen. This word is an Anglo-Norman word. They shed their outer parts during the breeding season. They belong to the kingdom of Animalia. They have good speed due to which they can swim faster. Puffins were hunted in ancient times. Penguins have heavier bodies than Puffin. They have large beaks which are bright in color.
It has three species in the Fratercula genus. Puffins eat mostly fish. They also consume zooplankton. They are always found in big colonies. They are mostly seen in offshore islands. They shed their outer parts during the breeding season. Penguin is found in Antarctica, South America, but Puffin is found in the northern Atlantic.
References
- https://www.nature.com/articles/35075554
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/(SICI)1097-4687(200005)244:2%3C109::AID-JMOR2%3E3.0.CO;2-0