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 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, based on 6 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge
Royal Tern
Thalasseus maximus
Brown Noddy
Anous stolidus
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Gull-billed Tern
Gelochelidon nilotica
Hudsonian Whimbrel
Numenius hudsonicus
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Semipalmated Plover
Charadrius semipalmatus
📅 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 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge?
About 1% of wildlife watchers report a Black Skimmer sighting in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, based on 6 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Black Skimmer in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge?
July has the highest sighting rate for Black Skimmer in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge in our monthly data.