Puffin chick season has returned to Iceland, and with it a surprising sight: people tossing chicks off cliffs. That sounds cruel, but the locals who practice this long-standing tradition are actually trying to help the birds. They’re guiding the chicks away from blinding town lights so the young birds can find the sea.
This ritual takes place mainly in the Westman Islands, where puffins nest in huge numbers. The Westman Islands are home to the largest puffin colony in Europe. Adult puffins—smart, experienced birds—nest along the cliffs to raise and protect their young. When the chicks are ready to leave the nest, they head for the sea, where they’ll spend the first few years of life. Young puffins make that first nighttime journey using moonlight as a guide, but artificial lights confuse them. The chicks sometimes mistake town lights for moonlight and end up on streets or in the harbor instead of at sea.
Icelanders love puffins, and communities have organized rescue teams to help. Ordinary families often pitch in as well, IFLScience reports. A skilled rescuer can catch around ten chicks in a single night by scooping them up before they get stuck or stray. The harbor is even fitted with nets to catch birds that land on the water, since oil on the surface can damage their feathers and cause drowning.
During puffin season the Westman Islands feel festive. At night people walk the streets looking for chicks that need help. The phrase ‘tossing off the cliff’ sounds dramatic, but it really means helping exhausted chicks that can’t take off on their own. Rescuers put the chicks in boxes and carry them to the south side of the island, where cliffs and sky are full of adult puffins. There, people release the chicks one by one, tossing them high into the air. Once the puffins find themselves above the cliffs, they flap their wings and soar toward the ocean.
