The bird was discovered by Sarah Thorogood, who was walking her dog on Tuesday morning at Le Saie.
It had oil on one wing and its chest, which local experts say shows that pollution may well have contributed to its death. Just days earlier a dead guillemot, which is closely related to a puffin, had been recorded locally.
Bird experts now fear that with the recent bad weather there could be more such cases and they have asked Islanders to keep a look-out and report any sightings.
Information about the dead puffin, including photographs, will also be sent to specialists in the UK to help with ongoing research.
Cristina Sellarés, National Trust for Jersey project officer for Birds on the Edge, said it was unlikely that the bird was one of the three, or possibly four, breeding pairs of puffins which were identified as being active around Jersey this summer, as they typically left as autumn approached.
She said that in 2014 a significant number of birds were washed up dead on beaches around the Island and other parts of the British Isles. Hopefully it would not be a big wreck this time, she said, ‘but I would not be surprised if this isn’t the last one we find in the next few days and weeks.
‘We don’t know why the puffin died but we can guess. It could be a combination of things. It had patches of oil on one wing and its chest, which will prevent it from keeping warm and the water will get to the skin. It will lose heat and not be able to fly or dive so easily.
‘There is also probably a lack of fish due to pollution and overfishing – they have to look further and for longer for less fish.
‘And it could have also been affected by the storms that were around last week. The intensity and the length and amount of storms is increasing because of climate change. It is, excuse the pun, like a perfect storm of bad factors.’
She added that by reporting dead seabirds Islanders could help contribute to important research on the creatures and on their habitats.
Birds on the Edge is a partnership between the trust, Durrell and the Environment Department and aims to stop the decline of seabirds.
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