The Black Skimmer is a very unusual shorebird – in part because of its exceptionally long, knife-like lower bill and much shorter, slightly-curved upper bill. The knife-like lower bill isn’t for cutting, but for slicing through calm surface waters near shore and in shallow ponds and lakes. When the lower bill strikes a small fish, the fish slides up the bill and the upper bill clamps down on it.
The white undersides of a Black Skimmer help the skimmer by making it blend in with the light sky as the bird approaches potential prey. The black back and head and eyes that blend in with its black cap allow it to blend in with surface waters as it is skimming – making the bird less vulnerable to predators from above.
A skimmer’s very long narrow wings allow it to fly with wings always held above horizontal – thus never hitting the water. Most foraging is done in shallow water and at times of day or night when the water is calm. During nesting, however, both adults are kept busy hunting for food for their chicks no matter how rough the water is – thus choice of a nesting site near water that is usually calm is very important.