Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusRynchops (Skimmers)
- SpeciesRynchops niger (Black Skimmer)
The black skimmer (Rynchops niger) is a tern-like seabird, one of three similar bird species in the skimmer genus Rynchops in the gull family Laridae. It breeds in North and South America. Northern populations winter in the warmer waters of the Caribbean and the tropical and subtropical Pacific and Atlantic coasts, but South American populations make only shorter movements in response to annual floods which extend their feeding areas in the river shallows. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Black Skimmer sighting in Channel Islands National Park, based on 314 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Channel Islands National Park
Western Gull
Larus occidentalis
California Gull
Larus californicus
Heermann's Gull
Larus heermanni
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Elegant Tern
Thalasseus elegans
Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
Royal Tern
Thalasseus maximus
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Bonaparte's Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
Least Tern
Sternula antillarum
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Glaucous-winged Gull
Larus glaucescens
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Black Skimmer in Channel Islands National Park?
About 4% of wildlife watchers report a Black Skimmer sighting in Channel Islands National Park, based on 314 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Black Skimmer in Channel Islands National Park?
June has the highest sighting rate for Black Skimmer in Channel Islands National Park in our monthly data.