Black Skimmer Bird

The black skimmer (Rynchops niger) is a tern -like seabird, one of three similar bird species in the skimmer genus Rynchops in the gull family Laridae. It breeds in North and South America. Aug 16, 2014 · Long-winged coastal waterbird. Black above and white below with a bicolored bill. Often flaps with its wings held above its body. The upper bill is shorter than the lower bill. Note the long. The strange, uneven bill of the skimmer has a purpose: the bird flies low, with the long lower mandible plowing the water, snapping the bill shut when it contacts a fish. Strictly coastal in most areas of. Unusual tern-like bird with oversized bill—lower mandible is much longer than upper mandible. Feeds by flying close to surface of water and dipping its lower mandible into the water "skimming" for small fish. Most Black Skimmers are found year-round in South America. Some breed on the East Coast of the U.S. from Massachusetts to Florida; Western populations breed in coastal locations from California to.

Adult Black Skimmers are a medium-sized to large waterbird with a long red and black bill, the lower half being the longest. They also possess a black back and cap, white underparts, very short red legs,. The black skimmer is a seabird with defining physical characteristics that make it easily distinguishable from others. The key physical feature of the skimmer is its large red and black bill. Watching the strikingly-colored black skimmer forage for food--flying low horizontally while its highly sensitive lower jaw sluices through the water--is one of the natural world's more remarkable sights.