Black skimmer

Rynchops niger · The black skimmer is a tern-like seabird that breeds along coasts, rivers and lagoons of North and South America.

Black skimmer
Photo: Andreas Trepte, CC BY-SA 4.0
Black skimmer
Photo: Chuck Homler d/b/a Focus On Wildlife, CC BY-SA 4.0
Black skimmer
Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderCharadriiformes
FamilyLaridae
GenusRynchops
SpeciesRynchops niger

Where it lives

Coasts, beaches and big rivers from the US to Argentina.

Fun facts

  • This bird has a catlike vertical pupil, a feature unique among all birds.
  • It feeds by flying low over the water and dragging its long lower bill through the surface, catching fish, insects, crustaceans and molluscs by touch, often at night.
  • Chicks hatch with mandibles of equal length, but the lower one quickly outgrows the upper as the chick fledges.
  • Males are noticeably heavier than females, averaging about 349 grams compared to the females' 254 grams.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).