On January 23, 2013, in Seward, Alaska, the United States Postal Service will issue an 86-cent Tufted Puffins definitive stamp in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps. A total of 30 million of the stamps, which are 0.87 x 0.98 inch in size, will be printed.

    The stamp will be officially unveiled at a USPS “First Day of Issue Ceremony” on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 11 a.m. at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward.

    With tufts of bright yellow feathers springing from its head, the tufted puffin looks like a clown to some and a punk rocker to others. Two of these unmistakable sea birds appear on the Tufted Puffins stamp, depicted during breeding season when their signature yellow plumage appears.

    Tufted puffins can be found along the Pacific coast from Oregon to Alaska. They hunt underwater, diving as deep as 200 feet and using their wings to propel themselves through the water. True creatures of the sea, they even eat underwater, and spend much of their lives on the open ocean. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp, which features a painting by artist Robert Giusti.

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