Gulls, Terns

Black Skimmer, Rynchops niger

Family Laridae (Gulls, Terns)

Size: 18"

Season: Summer

Habitat: Coastal bays, estuaries, or inland freshwater rivers and lakes

The black skimmer has a most unique bill, in that the lower mandible is substantially longer than the upper. The red bill is also thick at the base and knife-thin toward the end. This aids in the foraging practice of flying just above the water surface, wings held above the body, with the mouth open and the lower mandible cutting a furrow through the water. When it encounters something solid, the mouth slams shut and, hopefully, the bird acquires a fish. Plumage is black on the back, wings, and crown and white below. The legs are tiny and red. Nonbreeding adults have a white nape, contiguous with the white of the body. The illustration shows a breeding adult.