The African skimmer is a species of bird belonging to the skimmer genus Rynchops in the family Laridae. It is found along rivers, lakes and lagoons in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa
Typical Environment
Found along broad, slow-moving rivers, large lakes, backwaters, and coastal lagoons throughout parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Prefers stretches with exposed sandbars and low banks for roosting and nesting. Avoids heavily vegetated shorelines and areas with constant human disturbance. Colonies shift with seasonal water levels, often moving upstream or to alternative sandbanks as rivers rise and fall.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
African skimmers feed by flying low over calm water with their elongated lower mandible slicing the surface to snatch small fish by touch. They nest colonially on open sandbanks, making them highly sensitive to water-level changes, human disturbance, and sand extraction. Their brilliant orange-red bill and feet contrast strikingly with their black-and-white plumage, making them easy to identify at a distance.
African skimmers and white-winged terns at Kazinga Channel, Uganda
African skimmer feeding in Chobe, Botswana
Temperament
social and colonial
Flight Pattern
buoyant, low over water with long, stiff wingbeats; specialized skimming flight
Social Behavior
Breeds in tight colonies on exposed sandbanks, laying eggs in shallow scrapes. Both parents incubate and tend chicks, which are fed small fish. Outside the breeding season they roost communally on sandbars and may form mixed flocks with other waterbirds.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Vocalizations are sharp, nasal yaps and yelps, often given in flight over colonies or feeding sites. Calls carry well over open water and are used to keep contact within flocks.
