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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Shorebirds and Allies (Order Charadriiformes)

-Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers (Family Laridae)

-Skimmers (Subfamily Rynchopinae)

-Skimmers (Genus Rynchops)

-Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)


Rynchops niger is a migratory species. Individuals from northern North America winter in the southern United States and South America or the Caribbean. Rynchops niger is primarily found in bays, estuaries, lagoons, mudflats, beaches, shell banks, spoil islands, and coastal marshes. Individuals nest mostly on sand, salt marsh mats, and dredge spoil. They often choose sites near terns. Black skimmers are piscivores, their diet primarily consists of small fish from 4 to 12 cm in length. Fish that are smaller than 2 cm are fed to young birds. They also eat arthropods, such as crustaceans, and other marine invertebrates. Black skimmers have a unique foraging behavior in which they fly low over the water while submerging their sharp, elongated lower mandible into the water. Once the prey comes into contact with the lower mandible, the upper mandible closes and the prey is captured.

Black Skimmer

Rynchops niger

Diet

  • Primarily small fish, including anchovies, silversides, mullet, and killifish.

  • Also feeds on shrimp, small crabs, aquatic insects, and other small aquatic invertebrates.

  • Hunts using its unique skimming technique—flying just above the water with its elongated lower mandible slicing through the surface until it snaps shut on prey.

Range

  • Found along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts of the Americas, from the United States through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and much of South America.

  • Along the Pacific coast of Mexico, including the Zihuatanejo region, it is a regular resident and winter visitor, with local breeding in suitable coastal habitats.

  • Inhabits beaches, estuaries, coastal lagoons, bays, river mouths, mudflats, and sheltered marine waters.

  • Nests colonially on sandy beaches, islands, and exposed sandbars.

Male Female

  • Male: Black upperparts, white forehead and underparts, bright red-and-black bill with the lower mandible noticeably longer than the upper, orange-red legs, and slightly larger body size.

  • Female: Nearly identical in plumage but generally smaller with a slightly shorter bill.

  • Juveniles: Brownish upperparts with buff-edged feathers and a duller orange bill and legs.

  • Sexes cannot be reliably distinguished in the field except by subtle size and bill differences.

Size

  • Length: 40–50 cm (16–20 in)

  • Wingspan: 107–127 cm (42–50 in)

  • Weight: 212–447 g (7.5–15.8 oz)

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