Explore Taxonomy. Surprise Me. Previous Chinese Crested Tern. Next African Skimmer. Lefevre Version: 1. Sign in to see your badges. More details: Guide to key entries Standard abbreviations and symbols. Account navigation Account navigation Introduction. Revision History. The lower part of the bill is longer than the top, which is important because they use their bill to skim along the top of the water to catch fish, for which they are aptly named.
Skimmers can reach a height of Sachs pers. Skimmers have a black back, black wings with white edging, and a white belly and head. Adult plumage is black above, white below and this striking combination, coupled with the brightly colored bill, makes it easy to spot the birds as they hunt over the water or loaf on the beach with other seabirds and shorebirds.
The diet of the black skimmer primarily consists of fish. When they contact a prey item, they quickly bend their head forward and snap the upper bill closed, seizing their prey. Breeding occurs during the summer, generally between May and early September Katja Schulz, n. Skimmers nest on the sand along beaches, sandbars, and islands developed by dredged-up material.
Nesting occurs in colonies consisting of one to several hundred pairs of skimmers. Skimmers are protective of their nests and offspring and will utilize group mobbing to protect the nests. Skimmers usually lay three to five eggs per nest and eggs are incubated by both parents for approximately days The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Each parent incubates the eggs for up to four hours at a time Gochfield and Burger, Once hatched, parents guard the offspring until they are able to fly at about days old Katja Schulz, n.
The black skimmer inhabits coastal areas in Florida such as estuaries, beaches, and sandbars. Skimmers can be found from the coasts of the northeastern U. Breeding adult and downy young. Well-known for its skimming habit, furrowing the water with lower mandible, the upper mandible snapping down immediately when contact is made with a fish. Finds food by touch, not by sight; often forages in late evening or at night, when waters may be calmer and more fish may be close to surface.
Rarely may forage by wading in very shallow water, scooping up fish. Variable in color, whitish to buff to blue-green, marked with dark brown. Incubation is by both sexes male may do more , days. Young: Both parents feed young, by regurgitation. Upper and lower mandibles of young are same length at first, so they are able to pick up food dropped on the ground by parents. Young wander in vicinity of nest after a few days; if danger threatens, may attempt to look inconspicuous by lying flat on beach, even kicking up sand to make a hollow to lie in.
Able to fly at about days. Both parents feed young, by regurgitation. Mostly fish. Feeds mostly on small fish that live just below surface of water.
Also eats some small crustaceans. Breeds in colonies. Courtship not well studied, may involve zigzagging flight with two or more males pursuing one female. Nest site on ground on open sandy beach, shell bank, sandbar; sometimes on gravel roof. Nest is shallow scrape in sand.
Learn more about these drawings. Withdraws from northern part of breeding range in winter. Sometimes pushed north along coast by tropical storms, rarely driven inland. Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases.
The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too. North American birds face growing threats throughout their life cycle from increasingly severe weather driven by climate change.
0コメント