For centuries, humans exploited puffins for their food and feathers. Over time, this changed, and now we love them for their quirky character. However, the climate crisis now threatens their survival. Warmer oceans force fish like sand eels to move to cooler waters. Puffins must travel further to feed, so their chicks have a lower chance of survival.
In early 2026, severe storms caused hundreds of dead puffins to wash up on beaches in the UK and Europe. This was the worst wreck in over a decade. Marine pollution from oil and plastic also harms them. Rats and other predators eat their eggs, reducing breeding success.
Despite these threats, there is hope. A legal victory stopped industrial sand eel fishing, keeping more food for puffins. Technology, like the BirdLife Seabird Tracking Database, allows scientists to monitor puffins. Puffins can live for decades and may recover if invasive predators are removed. This gives us optimism for their future.
Sources: theguardian.com
The words in bold are from the article.
| 1. exploited | a. harsh |
| 2. quirky | b. unusual |
| 3. crisis | c. emergency |
| 4. threatens | d. track |
| 5. survival | e. disaster |
| 6. severe | f. used |
| 7. wreck | g. existence |
| 8. pollution | h. contamination |
| 9. monitor | i. hope |
| 10. optimism | j. endangers |
1.f 2.b 3.c 4.j 5.g 6.a 7.e 8.h 9.d 10.i