The Story
This juvenile Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) was at Hato Altamira in Casanare, Colombia when I photographed it. The Black Skimmer usually feeds in large flocks, flying low with its lower bill skimming the water for small fish, insects and crustaceans. Breeding adults have a black crown, nape and upper body. Hato Altamira is one of three ranches, with Mata de Palma and Montana, that make up El Encanto de Guanapalo, a reserve of almost 9,000 hectares of flooded savanna and gallery forest in San Luis de Palenque. IUCN lists the Black Skimmer as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100. The families who run its ranches work to keep the savanna from being cleared, burned or plowed, and to keep llanero culture alive for the next generation.
©2022 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) belongs to the family Laridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2025). Source: IUCN Red List