An Indian Skimmer, Rynchops albicollis feeding.
Indian Skimmers are members of a genus of three very similar species, the others being the Black Skimmer of the Americas and the African Skimmer of sub-Saharan Africa. All three species have lower mandibles which are longer than the upper ones. They fish by flying just above the water surface with their beak skimming the water. When a fish or insect larva bumps against the lower mandible, the bird moves its head downwards taking the mandible up out of the water, and the upper mandible snaps shut, catching the prey.
Although I’d seen Black Skimmer in Florida and African Skimmer in QENP, Uganda, I hadn’t seen them exhibiting their feeding behaviour, so it was a thrill to go out in a small open boat in Satpura National Park in Madha Pradesh, central India and not only see many individuals of the species, resting on a sandbank, but also to see and be able to photograph birds fishing.
Sadly, Indian Skimmers have declined in numbers by 20% over eleven years due to habitat degradation and destruction, and this is expected to continue, so the charismatic bird has been Red Listed as ‘Endangered’.
This image is copyright © Liz Leyden, all rights reserved.
It is for sale as wall art or as various home or personal accessories at Pixels.com.
My original photo from which this image is derived is available to purchase as a Stock Photo from iStock.
