Black Skimmers - Meet Skyy
 
About Me  Names Rhynchops niger Black Skimmer Skyy Description 18" Black above, white below, with red legs. Bill red with black tip. Unique among birds in having lower mandible much longer (about one-third) than the upper. Our Photo Albums  Skimming for food  With my brothers and sisters, I hatched first!  Favorite Foods  Small Fish Shrimp Small Crustaceans Links  www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/end-thrtened/blkskimmer.pdf www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/bnb02.htmhttp://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/end-thrtened/blkskimmer.pdfhttp://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/bnb02.htmshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1
 
Its all about me! I’m Skyy and I’m a Black Skimmer. We’re called Skimmers because of the way we feed. I fly low over the water, skimming the surface with my lower bill. When I find food, usually a small fish, I quickly close my mouth, capturing dinner. I catch most of my favorite food, small fish, this way. I can also catch shrimp and other small crustaceans, too. I most often feed during the day, but sometimes it is fun to night fish! I have fun performing in compact flocks with my friends, we can be seen flying in unison, wheeling in one direction and then another, showing first the jet black of our wings, then the gleaming white of the our tummies. It’s so much fun! I’m sure you will enjoy the show! My parents tell me, by the late 1970s, the Black Skimmer population had declined and concern arose over its status in the New Jersey. Consequently, the black skimmer was listed as an endangered species in New Jersey in 1979. The majority of the state’s population remains in two to three large colonies, of which Stone Harbor’s Point is one, that are continually threatened by habitat loss and human activity. In 2005 there were 1,831 adults and 420 chicks fledged, but in 2006 there were only 704 adults and no chicks fledged. The colony moved to Champagne Island. Each year, my friends at the New Jersey Endangered and Non-game Species Program (ENSP) monitor us. Our nesting colonies are enclosed and patrolled by their personnel. Please stay out side the fenced in areas, so my colony can survive! Your friend, Sky I nest at the Point