• Skip to Content
  • Skip to Main Navigation
  • Skip to Local Navigation
  • Skip to Search
  • Skip to Sitemap
  • Skip to Footer
Help develop a Bird ID tool!

Black Skimmer

Rynchops niger ORDER: CHARADRIIFORMES FAMILY: LARIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

  • Similar Species
  • Related Species
  • Go to:

The remarkable bill of the Black Skimmer sets it apart from all other American birds. The large red and black bill is knife-thin and the lower mandible is longer than the upper. The bird drags the lower bill through the water as it flies along, hoping to catch small fish.

WeLoveBirds

Calls

  • Calls
  • Courtesy of Macaulay Library
    © Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

A barking "yip."

Come Join NestWatch
Search the Macaulay Library online archive for more sounds and videos