Black Skimmer

Rynchops niger

They are the only birds in the world with a lower mandible (beak) significantly longer than the upper one.

Scientific name

Rynchops niger

Taxonomy

Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Charadriiformes › Laridae › Rynchops

IUCN Red List status

Least Concern

Population trend

decreasing

Biome

aquatic

Habitat

Coastal beaches, estuaries, salt marshes, and lagoons.

Diet

Small fish (such as Atlantic silversides) and small crustaceans.

Range

Atlantic Coast of North America, Gulf Coast, Pacific Coast of South America, Caribbean Islands

Size

Length: 40-50 cm; Wingspan: 107-127 cm

Lifespan

Up to 20 years

Active

crepuscular

Threats

Habitat loss due to coastal development, human disturbance of nesting sites, sea-level rise, and plastic pollution.

Safe to approach?

Harmless and shy. Maintain a distance of at least 50 meters, especially on beaches where they nest on the sand. If birds take flight or 'bark' at you, move away immediately to prevent nest abandonment. They do not pose a threat to humans.

The black skimmer ( Rynchops niger ) is a tern-like seabird, one of three very similar birds species in the skimmer genus Rynchops in the gull family Laridae. It breeds in North and South America. Northern populations winter in the warmer waters of the Caribbean and the tropical and subtropical Pacific coasts, but the South American races make only shorter movements in response to annual floods which extend their feeding areas in the river shallows.

Photo: Bill Levine, CC-BY, via iNaturalist

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