The Story
I photographed this Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) from the Ferry Marcopolo on the Orteguaza River at Puerto Arango, near Florencia, Caquetá, Colombia, in February 2021. It is the largest of the three skimmers, 40 to 50 centimeters long with a wingspan of 107 to 127 centimeters. The base of its bill is red and the rest mainly black, and the lower mandible is much longer than the upper. It feeds by flying low with the lower mandible slicing the water, catching small fish, insects and crustaceans by touch. South American birds move only short distances, following the yearly floods that widen their feeding areas. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11, at 1/250 sec, f/11, ISO 12800. From the Marco Polo ferry, on a two-hour trip along the Orteguaza River, passengers see the Hacha River flow into the Orteguaza and watch for birds.
©2021 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