BIRDS of THE WORLD - An Online Bird Book
GULLS and Allies
Gulls, terns, skimmers, skuas, puffins, and their allies belong to the order
Charadriiformes. Charadriiformes is a diverse order and contains many other families. Most live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic (seabirds), some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick forest.
SKIMMERs
Order Charadriiformes Family Laridae
The
Skimmers are a small genus of tern-like birds. They are the only birds with distinctive uneven bills with the lower mandible longer than the upper. This remarkable adaptation allows them to fish in a unique way, flying low and fast over surfaces of water. Their lower mandible skims or slices over the water's surface ready to snap shut before a small fish is able to dart clear. They are the only birds known to have slit-shaped pupils. Their bills fall within their field of binocular vision and enable them to carefully position their bill and capture prey. They are tropical and subtropical species which lay 3-6 eggs on sandy beaches.
Genus Rynchops
Skimmer, African Rynchops flavirostris Found: Africa
Image by: 1)
Robert Muckley 2, 4) Lip Kee - Namibia 3)
Ian White - Botswana
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Skimmer, Black Rynchops niger Found: The Americas
Image by:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) Dick Daniels - North Carolina
1) Juvenile (top) 2, 3) Juvenile
![](../Daniels1SM/skimmer, black 10-24 d.jpg)
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![](../Daniels1SM/skimmer, black 01-10 a.jpg)
![](../Daniels2SM/Skimmer,_Black_OI_2013.jpg)
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![](../Daniels3SM/Skimmer,_Black_2015.jpg)
![](../Daniels3SM/Skimmer,_Black_2015-09-15a.jpg)
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Skimmer, Indian Rynchops albicollis Found: southern Asia
Image by: 1)
Arindam Bhattacharya 2)
Davidvraju 3)
The Belurs
![](../Images8SM/Skimmer,_Indian_ArindamBhattacharya.jpg)
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