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The black skimmer (Rynchops niger) is a tern-like seabird.
The Pantanal is a tropical wetland and the world's largest wetland of any kind. The Pantanal ecosystem is also thought to be home to 1000 bird species, 400 fish species, 300 mammalian species, 480 reptile species and over 9000 different subspecies of invertebrates.
Brazil, Pantanal
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From the Florida Wildlife Commission:
The black skimmer is a seabird with defining physical characteristics that make it easily distinguishable from others. The key physical feature of the skimmer is its large red and black bill. The bill begins to widen at the top and gradually becomes smaller as it forms a sharp tip at the end of the bill. 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 19.7 inches (50 centimeters) with a wingspan of 3 to 3.5 feet (.9-1.1 meters) (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology 2011, E. Sachs pers. comm. 2011). Skimmers have a black back, black wings with white edging, and a white belly and head.
Keeled Skimmer (male) weaving his way through the reeds.
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“The strange, uneven bill of the skimmer has a purpose: the bird flies low, with the long lower mandible plowing the water, snapping the bill shut when it contacts a fish. Strictly coastal in most areas of North America, Black Skimmers are often seen resting on sandbars and beaches. Unlike most birds, their eyes have vertical pupils, narrowed to slits to cut the glare of water and white sand. Flocks in flight may turn in unison, with synchronized beats of their long wings. The world's three species of skimmers are sometimes placed in their own separate family, although they are clearly related to the terns.” Narrative credit – Audubon. Photographed off the East End of Galveston Island.
One Killifish is caught, another "periscopes," while others in the shoal form bubbles as they flee from the Skimmer.
Killifish feed close to the surface making themselves easy pickings for the swooping Skimmers. These tiny fish are often referred to as the "pigeons of the sea" as they are so numerous and can live in a wide range of environments. They are mosquito eaters, forming "raindrops" and bubbles on the surface of the water as they feast.
A Flame Skimmer stopped for a brief moment to rest on the end of a Yucca plant! It is fun to watch them zip around the yard catching insects.
There was a lot of skimming action on this sunny afternoon. The skimmers were "hanging" with the Laughing Gulls, with spoonbills, pelicans and various shorebirds in the vicinity.
South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center,
South Padre Island, Texas.
Jan. 6, 2022
The flame skimmer or firecracker skimmer (Libellula saturata) is a common dragonfly of the family Libellulidae, native to western North America.
Male flame skimmers are known for their entirely red or dark orange body, this includes eyes, legs, and even wing veins. Females are usually a medium or darker brown with some thin, yellow markings. This particular type of skimmer varies in size but is generally measured somewhere between two and three inches long. These naiads are known for being rather large and chubby-looking due to their rounded abdomen. They are covered with hair but, unlike most young dragonflies, they lack hooks or spines.
After almost a two mile walk to the point at Stone Harbor, Not one Skimmer was visible. All the sudden, close to 60 flew in and landed at the edge of a large tital and the tide was coming in. Problem was, we would be looking right into the sun. Bill and I lost our minds and waded out and around in the pool to get the sun behind us. We were just glad, they did breed and were able to see two juveniles.
Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea) as seen in Desert Hills, Green Valley,Arizona, USA
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