Black Skimmer

Black Skimmer, adult, breeding plumage

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Black Skimmer, adult, nonbreeding

Black Skimmer, juvenile

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

The remarkable bill of the Black Skimmer is sets it apart from all other American birds. The large red and black bill is knife-thin and the lower mandible is longer than the upper. The bird drags the lower bill through the water as it flies along, hoping to catch small fish.

Description

• Medium-sized to large waterbird.
• Long red and black bill; lower half longest.
• Black back and cap.
• Underparts white.
• Very short red legs.
• Long, pointd wings.

• Size: 40-50 cm (16-20 in)
• Weight: 212-447 g (7.48-15.78 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes similar, male slightly larger and with longer bill.

Sound

A barking "yip."

Conservation Status

Populations were declining in 1970s, but appear to have stabilized in most places.

Other Names

Bec à ciseaux (Louisiana), Bec-en-ciseaux noir (French)
Rayador, Arador, Pico de Tijera (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• The Black Skimmer is the only American representative of the skimmer family. The other two, rather similar, species are the African Skimmer and the Indian Skimmer. All use the same unusual feeding method.
• Although the Black Skimmer is active throughout the day, it is largely crepuscular (active in the dawn and dusk) and even nocturnal. Its use of touch to catch fish lets it be successful in low light or darkness.

• At hatching, the two mandibles of a young Black Skimmer are equal in length, but by fledging at four weeks, the lower mandible is already nearly 1 cm longer than the upper.

Sources used to construct this page:

Gochfeld, M. and J. Burger. 1994. Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger).In The Birds of North America, No. 108 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists' Union.