Photo © by Juninho
- Rynchops flavirostris
Identification
36–42 cm (14¼-16½ in)
- Black back, hindneck, and crown
- White forehead cheeks and underparts
- Yellow-tipped orange beak. The lower mandible is longer than the upper one
- White short forked tail
- Very long wings
- Bright red legs
Distribution
Widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa:
Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa
Middle East: Arabian Peninsula, Yemen
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Wide tropical rivers with sandbanks, lakeshores, and coastal lagoons.
Behaviour
Their diet consists of fish up to 8cm long. They feed by 'skimming' their bill along the water.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) African Skimmer. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/African_Skimmer
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
