Shorebirds & Seabirds
Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger
A unique bird whose lower bill is longer than the upper. It flies low over calm water with the lower bill slicing the surface, snapping shut on any fish it touches.
How to identify it
- Black above and white below
- Long red bill with a black tip; lower part longer than the upper
- Short red legs
- Skims just above the water with its bill in the surface
- Barking, dog-like calls from flocks
SizeAbout the size of an American Crow
American Robin10 in
Black Skimmer18 in
American Crow19 in
Canada Goose37 in
6 inAverage length, bill to tail
Details
- Size
- 16–20 in long; wingspan 42–50 in
- Weight
- 9–15 oz
- Habitat
- Beaches, sandbars, inlets and calm coastal waters
- When to see it
- Year-round along the southern Atlantic and Gulf coasts; summer north to New England
- Diet
- Small fish
Range in the United States
Life history
Food
Skims low with its lower bill slicing the water, snapping shut on small fish it touches.
Nesting
A bare scrape on open sand or shell, in colonies, often with terns.
- Clutch
- 3–5 eggs
- Incubation
- 21–25 days
- Young
- Fledge at about 4 weeks
- Broods
- 1 per year
Behavior
Feeds mostly at dawn, dusk and night when the water is calm. Rests in tight flocks on beaches.
Conservation
Declining in parts of its range due to beach disturbance and loss of nesting sites.
Cool facts
- Its pupils narrow to vertical slits like a cat's, protecting its eyes in bright sun.
- Chicks are born with bills of equal length; the lower one grows longer later.
- It is the only North American bird whose lower bill is longer than its upper.
Songs & calls
▶Bird sounds video coming soon
Watch the Black Skimmer
▶Video coming soon
