They’re Saving the Birds

It’s midnight. A group of kids climb out of their beds. They strap on headlamps. Then they head out on their surprising mission.

They’re getting up to save . . . birds.

These kids live on the island of Iceland. Iceland is more than 3,000 miles from the U.S. It is home to unique birds called puffins. These seabirds have white bellies, bright-orange webbed feet, and rainbow-colored beaks. But puffins are in trouble: The number in Iceland has dropped by nearly 3 million.

Part of the reason? Newborn puffins should fly toward the glow of the moon. This will bring them to the sea. Instead, many get confused and fly toward bright lights in town. That’s dangerous. They may get hit by a car or eaten by a cat prowling the streets.

This is where the Puffin Patrol comes in.

The Puffin Patrol is a group of kids who drive around town with their parents, keeping their eyes peeled for puffins. The birds could be sitting on a rooftop, or hiding under a parked car. Once the Patrol spots a puffin, a kid slowly tiptoes over, careful not to scare it. Then the child scoops it up and places it in a large cardboard box. Families catch as many puffins as they can.

The next day, they bring the boxes to an aquarium. There, the puffins are weighed and cleaned. They’re tagged so experts can track them. Last year, more than 5,000 puffins were rescued!

Finally, the families release the puffins into the wild. They walk to the ocean’s edge, hold the birds with both hands, and gently toss them into the air, where they fly away to safety.