Penguins have a national awareness day on January 20th, and they have a "World Penguin Day" April 25th. I think its time we show our arctic birds on the opposite side of the globe some love. 

As climate change persists, we often discuss the melting polar ice and how that will affect the polar bears in the arctic. However, we neglect many of the other species located in the arctic/subarctic. One such species, the Atlantic Puffin, will also be heavily impacted by the warming of the Earth's oceans. As the oceans warm, many of the puffin's native food supply moves North to cooler water, or disappear completely. This is causing many puffin populations to be displaced from their habitats in pursuit of their prey or simply depleting their population in some areas.

One example is the islands of Shetland, a subarctic archipelago North of Scotland. They have seen their puffin population plummet from 33,000 puffins to just 570 according to an article from The Guardian (which I will link below). Puffins have also been recently classified as "threatened by extinction" by BirdLife International and are considered "vulnerable" by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). While I mention the Atlantic Puffin in particular, it is important to note that they are not the only species of puffin that suffer from population decline. 

I am no expert on any of this and will never claim to be, however I love my orange beaked birds. I see the impact of climate change on these birds, and I think having many others acknowledge the Atlantic Puffin's plight, as well as its relatives, would help to not only bring awareness to this bird in particular, but also to many other seabirds and arctic/subarctic animal species.

And so...I propose a National Puffin Day.

Here are some fascinating and helpful links to learn more about puffins, described in much greater detail than I ever could explain here:

A world without puffins? (The Guardian)
 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/20/a-world-without-puffins-the-uncertain-fate-of-the-much-loved-seabirds

Puffin population census changed from every 5 years to annually.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/05/07/puffin-population-counted-annually-amid-climate-change-fears/

Iceland puffin population decline
https://www.travelpulse.com/news/features/icelands-puffin-population-is-plummeting-heres-what-tourists-can-do.html

Tufted puffins in the Bering Sea dying off (An outlook from a species not on the Atlantic Ocean)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/29/climate-crisis-factor-tufted-puffins-die-off-study-says-bering-sea