Dallikton Puffin

The Dallikton puffin is a species of bird native to the fringes of Noltêrrë and the northernmost reaches of the Pāll-tanír. The species is named after the northernmost permanent settlement in the world, Dallikton.
When first described, the Dallikton puffin was believed to be one of two puffin species that inhabited the region. The other was described in the literature as the northern desert puffin, a species that the coastal a'drekh of the northern Pāll-tanír had coexisted with for millennia. For a time, the close proximity of these two perceived species caused something of a buzz in scientific circules.
Many hypotheses were put forth to explain the peculiar state of affairs. Among the most popular was one termed the Cold Dead Waters (CDW) hypothesis. It purported that the stretch of ocean between the southern fringes of Nolterrë and the northernmost shore of the Pāll-tanír was simply too turbulent and devoid of potential food sources that it acted as a natural barrier keeping the two species apart.
Though popular, the CDW hypothesis was not without its flaws, and certainly not without its detractors. One of the most prominent objections to the concept was the fact that while the stretch of water in question was far from lush, it was sufficiently stocked with the kinds of fish that northern desert puffins prey on. The rebuttal from CDW supporters was that fish suited for everyday subsistence may not necessarily be the best fish for long-distance flights over inhospitable waters.
The dispute was ultimately resolved when a thorough investigation revealed a single illuminating fact that was somehow overlooked in all the back-and-forth: Dallikton puffins only ever appeared during the short, relatively warmer spring months in Noltêrrë, which, rather conveniently, coincided with a period of time when sightings of northern desert puffins would be quite rare. As it turned out, Dallikton puffins and northern desert puffins were one and the same. That no one had caught on was attributed to the fact that the birds began and finished molting into their "winter" plumage during their migration north, and into their "summer" plumage during their migration back south.
As the researcher who uncovered the reality was based in Dallikton at the time, it was decided that the species would be named the Dallikton puffin from then on.

Scientific Name

Tifina nolterë

Geographic Distribution

• Noltêrrë