Skimmers (Rynchopidae) - HBW 3
Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)
French: Bec-en-ciseaux noir
German: Amerikanischer Scherenschnabel
Spanish: Rayador Americano
Other common names: American Skimmer
Taxonomy: Rynchops nigra Linnaeus, 1758, America = coast of South Carolina.
Forms superspecies with R. flavirostris and R. albicollis; some authorities have suggested that all three might be conspecific, but good evidence apparently lacking. Species name changed from nigra to niger, when all genera ending in -ops were ruled as being of masculine gender. Races cinerascens and intercedens formerly considered to constitute two further species, on account of white, as opposed to dusky, on wing linings and tail, and amount of white edging on secondaries; however, variability of these characters is more consistent with subsp.. View all taxonomy...
Forms superspecies with R. flavirostris and R. albicollis; some authorities have suggested that all three might be conspecific, but good evidence apparently lacking. Species name changed from nigra to niger, when all genera ending in -ops were ruled as being of masculine gender. Races cinerascens and intercedens formerly considered to constitute two further species, on account of white, as opposed to dusky, on wing linings and tail, and amount of white edging on secondaries; however, variability of these characters is more consistent with subspecific differentiation. Dubious race intermedia (W South America) normally included within cinerascens; proposed race melanura is synonymous with cinerascens. Three subspecies normally recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- niger Linnaeus, 1758 - coasts of USA (S California; Massachusetts to Texas) and Mexico (Sonora to Nayarit; Tamaulipas to Yucatán Peninsula); winters from California and North Carolina S to both coasts of Panama.
- cinerascens Spix, 1825 - coasts of Colombia to mouth of R Amazon and W Ecuador (Gulf of Guayaquil), and large river systems (especially Orinoco and Amazon) S to Bolivia and NW Argentina; winters on coasts, from Ecuador to S Chile, and from Panama to Trinidad and NC Brazil.
- intercedens Saunders, 1895 - large rivers of E Brazil (W to Maranhão and E Mato Grosso), E Paraguay, Uruguay and NE Argentina (S to Bahía Blanca); winters mainly on coast.
- Least Concern
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A winter adult on the beach calling several times. Ventura, Ventura County, California, USA (ssp niger)
Don DesJardin 15 January 2009 1 year ago 41 sec 4.7 -
Several birds skimming in a canal Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Assateague Island, Maryland, USA (ssp niger)
Robert Schaefer 20 August 2007 1 year ago 18 sec 4.6 -
A preening bird on a small sandbank. Rio Lagartos, Yucatán State, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico (Southern) (ssp niger)
Pieter de Groot Bo... 27 July 2005 3 years ago 30 sec 4.5 -
A winter adult on the beach preening. Ventura, Ventura County, California, USA (ssp niger)
Don DesJardin 15 January 2009 1 year ago 31 sec 4.3 -
A group of birds in the water flying off and then landing in the sand Rio Lagartos, Yucatán State, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico (Southern) (ssp niger)
Josep del Hoyo 29 September 2006 2 years ago 27 sec 4.3 -
adult plowing gulf waters Bolivar Peninsula, Galveston County, Texas, USA
Malcolm Mark Swan 25 April 2009 45 weeks ago 1 min 2 sec 4.3
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Black skimmer in flight Paracas National Reserve, Ica, Peru
Nature Expeditions... 1 January 2009 31 weeks ago 4 -
. Caimare Chico, Zulia, Venezuela
kperezleon 14 September 2008 48 weeks ago 4 -
Bird flying Palomino, La Guajira, Colombia
mauricio rueda 3 April 2007 1 year ago 3.7 -
Birds on the shore. Honeymoon Island State Park, Pinellas County, Florida, USA
killiajk 7 February 2009 1 year ago 3.5 -
Black Skimmers huddled on Daytona Beach on the Atlantic Ocean Florida, USA
killiajk 6 January 2007 1 year ago 3.5 -
Black Skimmer Florida, USA
killiajk 31 January 2009 1 year ago 3.3
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Calls in flight. Tocantins, Brazil
(Monotypic species)
Ciro Albano 5 July 2008 51 weeks ago 3
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