Indian Skimmer

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.