parent_taxon puffin
Puffins are any of three small species of alcids ( auks ) in the ___MASK2___ genus Fratercula with a brightly coloured beak during the breeding season . These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water . They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands , nesting in crevices among rocks or in burrows in the soil . Two species , the tufted puffin and horned puffin , are found in the North Pacific Ocean , while the Atlantic puffin is found in the North Atlantic Ocean . All puffin species have predominantly black or black and white plumage , a stocky build , and large beaks . They shed the colourful outer parts of their bills after the breeding season , leaving a smaller and duller beak . Their short wings are adapted for swimming with a flying technique under water . In the air , they beat their wings rapidly ( up to 400 times per minute ) in swift flight , often flying low over the ocean ' s surface . The Atlantic ___MASK79___ ('), also known as the common ___MASK79___ , is a species of seabird in the auk family . It is the only ___MASK79___ native to the Atlantic Ocean ; two related species , the tufted ___MASK79___ and the horned ___MASK79___ , are found in the northeastern Pacific . The Atlantic ___MASK79___ breeds in Iceland , Norway , Greenland , Newfoundland and many North Atlantic islands , and as far south as Maine in the west and the British Isles in the east . Although it has a large population and a wide range , the species has declined rapidly , at least in parts of its range , resulting in it being rated as vulnerable by the IUCN . On land , it has the typical upright stance of an auk . At sea , it swims on the surface and feeds mainly on small fish , which it catches by diving underwater , using its wings for propulsion . An endotherm ( from Greek  " endon " " within " and  " therm " " heat ") is an organism that maintains its body at a metabolically favorable temperature , largely by the use of heat set free by its internal bodily functions instead of relying almost purely on ambient heat . Such internally generated heat is mainly an incidental product of the ___MASK11___ ' s routine metabolism , but under conditions of excessive cold or low activity an endotherm might apply special mechanisms adapted specifically to heat production . Examples include special - function muscular exertion such as shivering , and uncoupled oxidative metabolism such as within brown adipose tissue . Only birds and mammals are extant universally endothermic groups of animals . Certain lamnid sharks , tuna and billfishes are also endothermic . A songbird is a ___MASK2___ belonging to the clade ___MASK23___ of the perching birds ( Passeriformes ). Another name that is sometimes seen as a scientific or vernacular name is Oscines , from Latin " oscen ", " a songbird ". This group contains some 4 , 000 species found all over the world , in which the vocal organ typically is developed in such a way as to produce a diverse and elaborate ___MASK2___ song . The domestic cat is a small , typically furry , carnivorous ___MASK96___ . They are often called house cats when kept as indoor pets or simply cats when there is no need to distinguish them from other felids and felines . Cats are often valued by humans for companionship and for their ability to hunt vermin . There are more than 70 cat breeds , though different associations proclaim different numbers according to their standards . The ___MASK98___ or common ___MASK98___ (" ___MASK31___ camelus ") is either one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa , the only living member ( s ) of the genus " ___MASK31___ ", which is in the ratite family . In 2014 , the Somali ___MASK98___ (" ___MASK31___ molybdophanes ") was recognized as a distinct species . The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world ' s oceans with a total ___MASK63___ of about . It covers approximately 20 percent of the Earth ' s surface and about 29 percent of its water surface ___MASK63___ . It separates the " Old World " from the " New World ". The ear is the organ of hearing and , in mammals , balance . In mammals , the ear is usually described as having three parts  the outer ear , middle ear and the inner ear . The outer ear consists of the ___MASK80___ and the ear canal . Since the outer ear is the only visible portion of the ear in most animals , the word " ear " often refers to the external part alone . The middle ear includes the tympanic cavity and the three ossicles . The inner ear sits in the bony labyrinth , and contains structures which are key to several senses : the semicircular canals , which enable balance and eye tracking when moving ; the utricle and saccule , which enable balance when stationary ; and the cochlea , which enables hearing . The ears of vertebrates are placed somewhat symmetrically on either side of the head , an arrangement that aids sound localisation . Dicynodontia is a taxon of anomodont therapsids or synapsids with beginnings in the mid - Permian , which were dominant in the Late Permian and continued throughout the Triassic , with a few possibly surviving into the Early Cretaceous . Dicynodonts were herbivorous animals with two tusks , hence their name , which means ' two dog tooth '. They are also the most successful and diverse of the non - mammalian therapsids , with over 70 genera known , varying from ___MASK43___ - to ox - sized . The bee hummingbird , zunzuncito or Helena hummingbird (" ___MASK55___ helenae ") is a species of hummingbird . The tufted ___MASK79___ ( Fratercula cirrhata ), also known as crested ___MASK79___ , is a relatively abundant medium - sized pelagic seabird in the auk family ( ___MASK53___ ) found throughout the North Pacific Ocean . It is one of three species of ___MASK79___ that make up the genus " Fratercula " and is easily recognizable by its thick red bill and yellow tufts . Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade Dinosauria that first appeared during the Triassic . Although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is the subject of active research , the current scientific consensus places their origin between 231 and 243 million years ago . They became the dominant terrestrial vertebrates after the Triassic  Jurassic extinction event 201 million years ago . Their dominance continued through the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and ended when the Cretaceous  Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of most ___MASK76___ groups 66 million years ago . The Republic of Iceland , " Lýðveldið Ísland " in Icelandic , is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean . It has a population of and an ___MASK63___ of , making it the most sparsely populated country in Europe . The capital and largest city is Reykjavík . Reykjavík and the surrounding ___MASK44___ in the southwest of the country are home to over two - thirds of the population . Iceland is volcanically and geologically active . The interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields , mountains and glaciers , while many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands . Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate , despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle . Its high latitude and marine influence still keeps summers chilly , with most of the archipelago having a tundra climate . Maine is the northernmost state in the New England region of the northeastern United States . Maine is the 39th most extensive and the 41st most populous of the U . S . states and territories . It is bordered by New Hampshire to the west , the Atlantic Ocean to the east , and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the north . Maine is the easternmost state in the contiguous United States , and the northernmost east of the Great Lakes . It is known for its jagged , rocky coastline ; low , rolling mountains ; heavily forested interior , and picturesque waterways ; and also its seafood cuisine , especially clams and lobster . There is a continental climate throughout the state , even in coastal ___MASK44___ such as its most populous city of Portland . The capital is ___MASK37___ . Rats are various medium - sized , long - tailed rodents of the superfamily ___MASK91___ . " True rats " are members of the genus " Rattus ", the most important of which to humans are the black ___MASK43___ , " Rattus rattus ", and the brown ___MASK43___ , " Rattus norvegicus ". Many members of other rodent genera and families are also referred to as rats , and share many characteristics with true rats . Birds ( Aves ), also known as avian dinosaurs , are a group of endothermic vertebrates , characterised by feathers , toothless beaked jaws , the laying of hard - shelled eggs , a high metabolic rate , a four - chambered heart , and a lightweight but strong skeleton . Birds live worldwide and range in size from the bee hummingbird to the ___MASK98___ . They rank as the class of tetrapods with the most living species , at approximately ten thousand , with more than half of these being passerines , sometimes known as perching birds or , less accurately , as songbirds . The term billfish refers to a group of predatory fish characterised by prominent bills , or rostra , and by their large size ; some are longer than 4 m ( 13 ft ). Billfish include ___MASK67___ and marlin , which make up the family ___MASK33___ , and swordfish , sole member of the family Xiphiidae . They are apex predators which feed on a wide variety of smaller fish , crustaceans , and cephalopods . An auk or alcid is a ___MASK2___ of the family ___MASK53___ in the order Charadriiformes . The alcid family includes the murres , guillemots , auklets , puffins , and murrelets . The horned ___MASK79___ (" Fratercula corniculata ") is an auk , similar in appearance to the Atlantic ___MASK79___ . It is a pelagic seabird that feeds primarily by diving for fish . It nests in colonies , often with other auks . The British Isles are a group of islands off the north - western coast of continental Europe that consist of the islands of Great Britain , Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles . Situated in the North Atlantic , the islands have a total ___MASK63___ of approximately 315 , 159 km , and a combined population of just under 70 million . Two sovereign states are located on the islands : Ireland ( which covers roughly five - sixths of the island with the same name ) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . The British Isles also include three Crown Dependencies : the Isle of Man and , by tradition , the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the Channel Islands , although the latter are not physically a part of the archipelago . A passerine is any ___MASK2___ of the order Passeriformes , which includes more than half of all ___MASK2___ species . A notable feature of passerines compared to other orders of Aves is the arrangement of their toes , three pointing forward and one back , which facilitates perching . Sometimes known as perching birds or , less accurately , as songbirds , the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders , with over 5 , 000 identified species . It has roughly twice as many species as the largest of the ___MASK96___ orders , the ___MASK69___ . It contains more than 110 families , the second - most of any order of tetrapods ( after Squamata , the scaled reptiles ). The passerines contain several groups of brood parasites such as the viduas , cuckoo - finches , and the cowbirds . Most passerines are omnivorous , while the shrikes are carnivorous . The beak , bill , or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds that is used for eating and for grooming , manipulating objects , killing prey , fighting , probing for food , courtship and feeding young . The terms " beak " and " rostrum " are also used to refer to a similar mouth part in some dicynodonts , Ornithischians , cephalopods , cetaceans , billfishes , pufferfishes , turtles , Anuran tadpoles and sirens . Hummingbirds are birds from the Americas that constitute the family ___MASK13___ . They are among the smallest of birds , most species measuring . Indeed , the smallest extant ___MASK2___ species is a hummingbird , the 5 - cm bee hummingbird weighing less than a U . S . penny ( 2 . 5 g ). Vertebrates comprise all species of animals within the subphylum ___MASK40___ ( chordates with backbones ). Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata , with currently about 64 , 000 species described . Vertebrates include the jawless fish and the jawed vertebrates , which include the cartilaginous fish ( sharks and rays ) and the bony fish . The superclass ___MASK18___ ( Ancient Greek s tetrapods , " four - footed "), or the tetrapods , comprises the first four - limbed vertebrates and their descendants , including the living and extinct amphibians , birds , mammals , reptiles and some ancient , exclusively aquatic creatures such as the Acanthostega . Tetrapods evolved from the lobe - finned fishes around 390 million years ago in the middle Devonian Period , with modern tetrapod groups having appeared by the late Devonian , 367 . 5 million years ago . The specific aquatic ancestors of the tetrapods , and the process by which land colonization occurred , remain unclear , and are areas of active research and debate among palaeontologists at present .