"The breeds from France and the in the south to as far north as there is ice-free land and has been studied throughout its range. It winters over vast areas of the North Atlantic and, in small numbers, the Mediterranean .. It is the most numerous of the ... puffins with some 20 million individuals. The single egg is incubated for six weeks and the chick is fed on small fish for another six weeks. The chick is independent after it has fledged."