The Royal Canadian Mint showcases Canada's young wildlife with a beautiful series of coins featuring baby animals, including this one featuring a young puffin (or chick). Second in a touching series of coins that depicts baby animals in their natural setting.

This beautiful coin features selective colouring that reproduces the young puffin's distinct features. In the background, the brilliant green of the grassy cliff tops contrasts with the red and white of the lighthouse that is perched near the cliff's edge.

Coin features a young puffin with its mother along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. A side profile of the chick allows for a full view of the soft, dark-coloured down that covers its head and back, along with its bright white chest and its webbed feet. The chick is nestled among the grasses and flowers where it awaits its meal; on the right, the adult puffin stands next to its offspring, its bill clasping the small fish that will provide nourishment for the chick. Selective colour enhances the young puffin's engraved features; in the background, the bright green of the grassy cliff tops stands in contrast with the red and white lighthouse.

The Atlantic puffin is one of Canada's most beloved seabirds! This colourful bird is a familiar sight along the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador, where it enjoys the distinction of being the province's official bird since 1992. The puffin might have wings but it is a horrible flier–its wings need to flap up to 400 beats per minute just to stay in the air! They're also known for crash-landing more often than not, and will easily knock over other puffins that might be standing in their landing path.

In the water, they're strong swimmers! Their webbed feet act like rudders but remarkably, they can dive to a depth of 61 metres and can hold their breath for up to one minute underwater! A puffin will dive into the water to scoop out as many fish as it can in one take. It will usually grab an average of 10 fish at a time, but it's been known to net up to 60 in a single dive!