Black Skimmer
© Blair Witherington
The Black Skimmer is a distinctive-looking tern with a unique knife-like bill and foraging technique. Skimmers are the only birds in the world with a lower mandible longer than the upper. Skimmers can be seen in bays, rivers, salt marshes and other estuarine environments, dragging their lower mandible in the water to catch fish and crustaceans. Black Skimmers are relatively easy birds to find year-round along both Florida coasts and at some inland sites as well (especially in southern Florida in winter). Approximately 50% of the state population nests along the central Gulf Coast. Black Skimmers are considered a species of special concern in Florida due to habitat loss and disturbance. Their nesting activities are often disrupted by beachgoers and pets, so some skimmers now nest on buildings with gravel rooftops.
For more information, including a range map and sound recording, visit The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds website.
Recommended GFBWT sites:
- Bald Point State Park
- Fort Clinch State Park
- Fort De Soto County Park
- Honeymoon Island State Park
- Huguenot Memorial Park
- Lock 7: Jaycee Park
- Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
- Parrish Park Titusville
- St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge: St. Marks Unit
- Stormwater Treatment Area 5
Bird's habitat
Skimmers can be seen in bays, rivers, salt marshes and other estuarine environments. They also nest on gravel rooftops.
