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ABOUT THIS SPECIES

BLACK SKIMMER – (Species Account Blog #69)

TAXONOMIC TREE:  

• ORDER: Charadriiformes,
• FAMILY: Laridae,
• BINOMIAL NAME: Rynchops niger

The Black Skimmer, one of North America’s most distinctive coastal waterbirds, is noted for its unusual voice, bill, and feeding behavior. Its bill—brightly colored, laterally compressed, and knife-like, with the lower mandible extending beyond the maxilla—is uniquely adapted to catch small fish in shallow water. A feeding skimmer flies low over the water with its bill open and its lower mandible slicing the surface. (from Birds of the World)

SIMILAR SPECIES

From afar, an inexperienced observer might confuse a skimmer with a similarly toned black-and-white shorebird, American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus). However, Black Skimmer is truly unique for its combination of an unmistakable bill plus short bright legs.

DISTRIBUTION

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PERSONAL OBSERVATION ANECDOTES

In Costa Rica we observed Black Skimmers mixed in with Laughing Gulls while on the boat tour at the mouth of the Tárcoles River.

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PHOTO GALLERY

**Some of these Photo Gallery images (all taken by me) have been taken in other nearby countries.

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RECENT BLOG POSTS

View the five most recent Birds & Birding in Costa Rica series blog posts below.

• A Streak-headed Woodcreeper Feeds its Offspring Near the Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica
• PALE-BILLED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• SMOKY-BROWN WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• HOFFMANN’S WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• BLACK-CHEEKED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding