Black Skimmer

Overview

The black skimmer (Rynchops niger) is a tern-like seabird belonging to the gull family Laridae. It is the largest of the three species in the Rynchops genus and breeds in North and South America.

Identification

• Size: Measures 40–50 cm long with a wingspan of 107–127 cm.
• Plumage: Adult breeding plumage features a black crown, nape and upper body, contrasting with a white forehead and underparts; non-breeding adults have paler, browner upperparts with a white nape collar.
• Bill: Basal half is red, the rest is mainly black, and the lower mandible is much-elongated.
• Eyes: Possesses a dark brown iris and a cat-like vertical pupil, which is unique among birds.
• Sound: The call is described as a barking kak-kak-kak.
• Legs: Red in colour.

Habitat

This species breeds in loose groups on sandbanks and sandy beaches in the Americas, frequenting rivers, coasts and lagoons where it often loafs gregariously on sandbars. Northern populations winter in the warmer waters of the Caribbean and the tropical and subtropical coasts of the Pacific and Atlantic, while South American populations make shorter movements in response to annual floods.

Diet

Skimmers feed by flying low over the water surface, using their elongated lower mandible to skim the water and catch prey by touch. Their diet consists primarily of small fish, along with insects, crustaceans and molluscs, with foraging occurring by day but especially at night.

Did you know?

The black skimmer possesses a cat-like vertical pupil, a trait that is unique for a bird. Additionally, while the mandibles of the chicks are of equal length at hatching, they rapidly become unequal during the fledging period.