Skimmers - Expert Fish Hunters

Skimmers are tern-like seabirds that comprise the Rynchopidae family, and are named as such because of their particular feeding habits.

Skimmers are unique in that their large beaks are longer on the bottom than on the top. This allows them to hunt by flying just above the water with the lower half of their beaks partially submerged. Any small fish that isn’t able to dart out of the way gets quickly snapped into the skimmer’s mouth and becomes lunch.

There are three known species of skimmers; the black skimmer of North and South America, the African skimmer, and the Indian skimmer of southern Asia.