Visually, it looks like a sleek, high-speed jet draped in a sharp black-and-white tuxedo. It has long, narrow wings that allow it to glide effortlessly just inches above the water, and bright orange legs that match the base of its most famous feature: an absolutely wild, knife-like beak.
While it is a close relative of gulls and terns, the black skimmer stands entirely apart due to a severe, comical “underbite.” Its lower beak is significantly longer than its upper beak—a physical trait that is completely unique among North American birds and gives it a look that is equal parts awkward and magnificent.
What truly defines the black skimmer is its highly specialized, jaw-dropping hunting technique, which gives the bird its name. Instead of diving into the water like a pelican or plunging from the sky like a tern, the skimmer relies entirely on touch. It flies gracefully over calm coastal waters, lowering its head until its elongated lower beak is cutting right through the surface like a miniature plow.
As it slices through the water, the bird relies on pure reflex; the moment its lower jaw bumps into a fish, its beak snaps shut with lightning speed. Because they don’t need to see their prey to catch it, black skimmers are famous for being night owls. They do much of their heavy hunting during twilight and total darkness, when the water is calmest, and the fish are closest to the surface.
Distribution
Antigua & Barbuda
Argentina
Aruba
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
Bolivia
Brazil
British Virgin Is.
Canada
Cayman Islands
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
French Guiana
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Martinique
Mexico
Montserrat
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Puerto Rico
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent
St. Kitts & Nevis
Suriname
Trinidad & Tobago
Turks & Caicos
US Virgin Islands
United States
Uruguay
VenezuelaAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Flock
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
