Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis)
Indian Skimmer

Indian Skimmer

Rynchops albicollis

The Indian Skimmer, known scientifically as Rynchops albicollis, is a striking bird with a unique bill adaptation. It has a black cap and a vivid orange bill that stands out against its white body. The bird is roughly 40–43 cm in length with a wingspan of 108 cm. Its upper parts are a dark black, while the underparts are white. The black cap leaves the forehead and nape white, and the wings are long and pointed with a white trailing edge. The short, forked tail is white with blackish central feathers. The legs and feet are a vibrant red.

Identification Tips

The Indian Skimmer's bill is one of its most distinctive features, with the lower mandible being longer than the upper, allowing it to skim the water's surface for prey. The bill is orange with a yellow tip. Non-breeding adults are duller and browner, while juveniles are grey-brown above with pale fringes to the feathers on the back and wings. The head of a juvenile has more white, and the bill is orange-brown with a dark tip.

Habitat

This species is associated with large rivers, lakes, swamps, and coastal wetlands such as estuaries. It is most commonly found on freshwater, particularly during the breeding season.

Distribution

The Indian Skimmer is patchily distributed across southern Asia, with its range becoming increasingly fragmented. It is found in parts of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and formerly in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It is a scarce non-breeding visitor to Nepal and has been recorded as a vagrant in Oman and central Thailand.

Behaviour

Indian Skimmers forage by flying low over water, their lower mandible slicing through the surface to catch fish, small crustaceans, and insect larvae. They often feed at dusk and can be nocturnal. They breed in colonies on islands or sandy spits in rivers, laying buff or white eggs with brown blotches and streaks.

Song & Calls

The Indian Skimmer has a high, nasal, screaming kyap-kyap call but is generally very silent.

Breeding

Breeding occurs mainly between March and May. The birds nest in simple scrapes on the ground, often on open sand banks. They may lay their eggs in the nests of river terns, a behavior known as inter-specific brood parasitism.

Similar Species

The black skimmer of the Americas is larger with a black tip to the bill, while the African skimmer is smaller with more black in the tail and no white collar.

Diet and Feeding

Indian Skimmers feed mainly on fish, small crustaceans, and insect larvae, often foraging in small flocks and associating with terns.

Conservation Status

The Indian Skimmer is classified as Endangered by the IUCN. The population, estimated at 6,000-10,000 individuals, is threatened by habitat loss, degradation, pollution, and human disturbance. Some colonies are within nature reserves, such as the National Chambal Sanctuary in India.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Indian Skimmers on Birda

Sightings
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for George Gay
George Gay
16 Jan 2023 - 2:00am
India

More Gulls, Terns, Skimmers

Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
Amylia S
Best app for any birding person!
I love this app!! I am so addicted to it when I saw it had 3 star review I was so sad! The app is awesome!! The best app for any birding person! ❤️
Dan R
Great app for bird fanatics
Great app for bird fanatics - very user friendly and a perfect place to share sightings.
JCBirding
Just what birding needs
We need more fun in birding, for years it has had a reputation for being up tight and stuffy and only perused by retirees and anoraks. Birda helps change that perception and firmly brings birding into the 21st century! Fun, interactive while still contributing to science and conservation. If you aren’t on it, why not??
Louise L
Easy to use and accurate
Love this app. It is easy to use and accurate, Their backup communication is really good. I noted a missing species. All through the process, I was kept informed about the progress in correcting the information. I now have the corrected, updated version. 😁 Thanks!
EandB17
Terrific App for Birders
Downloaded Birda around the time my interest in birding was sparked, and it has been a terrific app to help me (1) share my experience, (2) document my sightings, and (3) learn more about birds in general. That said, I also believe Birda is a fantastic app for birders of all experience levels. Great community!
Marlster24
Recommend for any bird watcher
Very wholesome app: I joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😃
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
Sacha0508
Simply fantastic
I love this app, it puts so much fun into recording the birds I’ve seen and heard while I’m out and about. The interface is user-friendly and suitable for all ages. It’s great to collect badges and to review my “lists”.
Carl B
Helped me to identify more birds
Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.