Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)

These are in breeding plumage. In winter they have a white hind-collar California's first Black Skimmer was found 8 September 1962 at the mouth of the Santa Ana River in Orange County but they soon colonized Southern California and have since spread north to the San Francisco Bay Area where they are an uncommon breeder. The Black Skimmer is one of North America's most distinctive and unusual birds. The lower mandible is longer than the upper. It uses it to slice the shallow water and when it touches a fish, the upper mandible snaps shut to catch it. They are somewhat crepuscular and their eyes close down into slits like that of a cat. Among birds, I believe this is unique to skimmers. They also bark like a dog. The North American subspecies R. n. niger is more coastal than the South American races. It is characterized by having a mostly white tail with dark center, white underwing coverts and broad white tips to secondaries.