A long-winged bird with stark black-and-white plumage, the Black Skimmer has a unique grace as it forages in flight. Skimmers feed by opening the bill and dropping the long, narrow lower mandible into the water, skimming along until they feel a fish. Then they relax the neck, quickly closing their jaws and whipping the fish out of the water. Because they feed by essentially by touch, they can even forage at night. Black Skimmers forage mostly when winds are light and waters calm. They take many species of fish, mostly under 5 inches long, and a few crustaceans, such as shrimp or molting blue crabs. Black Skimmers lay eggs directly on sandy, shelly, or stony ground, usually on islands or remote beaches that have at least a little vegetation. Some nest in the higher parts of saltmarshes. The male and female scrape the sandy soil with their feet until a depression suitable for nesting is created. Skimmers lay between 1 and 5 eggs with an incubation period of 21 to 25 days. Parents feed the chicks for up to 4 weeks. Newly formed pairs sometimes fly in tandem, fluttering up together and flying around the nesting area. They also parade through the area together with necks outstretched and bills held up. Skimmers also fly in tandem when fishing on the shoreline or on freshwater ponds. (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
