Birds of the World


Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) Endangered Range: OR: local on major rivers, now mainly nc, ec India, c Myanmar India
Photograph by Patty McGann Copyright and usage info This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported. In short: you are free to share and make derivative works of the file under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one.


African Skimmer (Rynchops flavirostris) Range: AF: tropical African rivers Queen Elizabeth NP, Uganda
Photograph by Nik Borrow Copyright and usage info This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported. In short: you are free to share the file for non-commercial purposes under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.


Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) Range: NA, MA, SA: coastal USA from s California to w Mexico and Massachusetts to e Mexico; river systems of n, sc South America to ne Argentina Florida, United States
Photograph by Andy Morffew Copyright and usage info This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported. In short: you are free to share the file for commercial or non-commercial purposes under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material. My images are available free for any use but must be attributed and not made part of another image without permission. My website link is www.andymorffew.com

Skimmers fly low over the surface of the water with the lower mandible touching the water. When the bill hits a fish it snaps shut in a fraction of a second. Skimmers are local in coastal habitats, but sometimes in big groups.