Long-winged coastal waterbird. Black above and white below with a bicolored bill. Often flaps with its wings held above its body.
The upper bill is shorter than the lower bill. Note the long body and short red-orange legs.
Larger than terns but with similarly elegant, streamlined proportions. Sharp black-and-white contrast and red-and-black bill are distinctive.
Immature birds look similar to adults but have more white on the neck and brown on back and wings.
Often rests with its body flat on the ground and neck extended.
A buoyant and graceful flier typically seen low over the water. Note dark wingtips and white tail with a black line down the center.
Flies low with its lower bill slicing through the water. When the bill touches a fish, the upper bill snaps down instantly to catch it.
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A medium-sized ternlike seabird with very long wings and an outsized bill in which the lower mandible is much longer than the upper.
Larger than a Laughing Gull, slightly smaller than a Royal Tern (but with longer wings).
crow-sizedBlack Skimmers in North America have a dark tail with white outer feathers. In parts of Brazil through Argentina, the subspecies intercedens has a brown tail.
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers(Order: Charadriiformes, Family: Laridae)
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