Nutty Birder: #8 Black Skimmer vs #9 American Oystercatcher

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The Black Skimmer is the only representative of the skimmer family that lives in the Americas.
Skimmers us touch while foraging for food which allows them to be feed in low or no light situations.
When they hatch, the mandibles are of equal length but when the fledge four weeks later, the lower mandible is already 1 cm longer.
The Black Skimmer is the only bird in the United States that has a longer lower mandible than upper one.
The development of beachfront property poses a big threat to the nesting success of Black Skimmers.

For pictures of Black Skimmers, click here.

American Oystercatchers use their long blade-like bills to severe the adductor muscles of mussels before they can close their shells.
Adults use broken shells and pebbles to conceal their eggs in the nest.
Young are able to run around after just 24 hours but are unable to open bivalve shells until they are 2 months old.
Oystercatchers have returned to New England where they were extirpated due to market hunting and egg collecting.
Like Black Skimmers, they are severely threatened due to beachfront development.

For pictures of American Oystercatchers, click here.

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