When you go to the beach, it's usually not too hard to find lots of wildlife. One of the more unusual but interesting birds you may come across is the Black Skimmer. It's not too hard to identify them, for they are uniquely marked with a black body, white breast and bright red bill. Black Skimmers are often confused as a Tern, and even though they are from the same family as Terns and Gulls, they are truly one of a kind.
Black Skimmers breed along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Massachusetts and Long Island to Florida and Texas. Spends winters north to southern California and Virginia; also in Central and South America. Preferred habitats include sandy or gravelly bars and beaches, shallow bays, estuaries, and salt marsh pools.
Black Skimmers are typically found along rocky or sandy seashores, and can often be found in small to large groups and colonies along the beaches in Florida. The female is distinctly smaller than male and has smaller bill, but they both have one thing in common, which is their most amazing display of feeding, which is a techniques called "skimming".
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View Photo Of A Black Skimmer In Flight
View Photo Of A Black Skimmer On The Beach
View Photo Of A Black Skimmer Eating A Fish
View Photo Of A Black Skimmer "Skimming"
View Photo Of A Black Skimmer Couple Nesting
View Photo Of A Black Skimmer Adult
View Photo Of A Black Skimmer Sitting On A Nest
View Photo Of A Black Skimmer "Skimming"
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Black Skimmers don't dive, wade or stalk for their food, but they have developed a fascinating ability to glide over the water, and with their lower bill that is longer then the top part, they will "skim" the water. Since the lower bill is longer, it acts as a "feeler", and when the Black Skimmer hits a fish, it clamps shut with great force. This technique seems daunting at best to catch prey, but it is very effective. The only negative is that sometime the Black Skimmer will hit a rock, and it can damage or break their bill, so they have to carefully navigate as they skim over the shallow waters.
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Listen To The Sounds Of A Black Skimmer
(MP3 Format - :16 - 48KB)
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In the late spring and early summer on the beaches in Florida, Black Skimmers gather in huge colonies to search for a nesting site, that sometimes can contain hundreds in one small location. Since they prefer to nest on sandy beaches, they sometimes can be found not only on remote barrier islands, but on popular tourist beaches. Each year, numerous volunteers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as well as the National Audubon Society will rope off a nesting area, for they need our help to survive, and they are protected under federal and state laws.
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View Photo Of A Black Skimmer Nesting Site
View Photo Of A Black Skimmer And Babies
View Photo Of A Black Skimmer And Baby
View Photo Of A Pair Of Black Skimmers Arial Fight
View Photo Of A Baby Black Skimmer Jumping
View Photo Of A Baby Black Skimmer Running
View Photo Of A Baby Black Skimmer
View Photo Of A Black Skimmer Feeding A Baby
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Each Black Skimmer nest can contain between 2-4 eggs, as the female adult will scratch out a small depression in the sand. The adults will take turns incubating the eggs for about 21-23 days, and when the babies are born, both adults will care for them until they reach maturity. When the baby Black Skimmers are born, they are very much different look then their adult parents, for they are of the same coloring and patterns as the sand that surrounds them. This provides them a much needed camouflage from predators, including Gulls, Raccoons and others that patrol the beach looking for easy prey.
The other interesting note about the babies is not only the coloring difference, but their bills are not of equal length. It is not only until they reach maturity will the lower bill be longer then the top, so that they can skim for their food themselves. Black Skimmers are also early morning and late evening fishers, so the best time to see them skim is in those hours, and to witness it firsthand is a truly rewarding experience, for it is nothing like anything else you will ever see.
Article Written By Dawn La Follette