Indian Skimmer

Rynchops albicollis Swainson, 1838

Indian Skimmer, Rynchops albicollis, is a bird of major rivers in the Oriental Region, breeding locally in north-central and eastern India and central Myanmar. Outside the breeding season it reaches the north-east Arabian Sea coast of the north-west Indian Peninsula and the northern and eastern Bay of Bengal. It is a skimmer in the gull, tern and skimmer family, first described by Swainson in 1838. The species is known for its striking black, white and orange pattern, and for the long lower mandible that trails through the water as it flies low over the surface.

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Laridae — Gulls, Terns, Skimmers

Breeding range

Oriental Region: local on major rivers, now mainly nc, ec India, c Myanmar

Nonbreeding range

to ne Arabian Sea coast of nw Indian Pen. and n, e Bay of Bengal