Birds & Birding
African Skimmer: The Bird That Fishes With Its Lower Bill
The African skimmer flies low over calm water, its long lower bill slicing the surface to catch fish. How it feeds, why sandbanks matter and where to see it.
The African skimmer has one of the strangest bills of any bird: the lower half is much longer than the upper. It feeds by flying low and steadily over calm water with its bill open and the lower blade slicing through the surface. When the bill touches a fish, the head snaps down and the bill closes. Watching a group of skimmers working a quiet river at dusk is one of the special sights of a boat safari.
Identification
The skimmer is a tern-like bird with long, pointed wings, black or dark brown above and white below. The bill is bright orange-red with a yellowish tip, and the lower mandible, longer than the upper, is unmistakable once you see it. The legs are short and red. Young birds are browner, with a duller bill.
How it feeds
Skimmers fish mainly in calm water, often in the early morning, late afternoon and even after dark, when fish are close to the surface and the water is still. They fly just above the water, cutting a line across it with the lower bill, and catch small fish by touch rather than sight. Their eyes have pupils that can close to a narrow slit, an adaptation that may help in bright light reflected from the water.
Breeding and threats
African skimmers nest on bare, exposed sandbanks in large rivers, laying their eggs in a simple scrape. They depend on the dry season, when river levels fall and sandbanks appear. That makes them vulnerable: dams that change river flows, boats, people, livestock and predators on the sandbanks all disturb nests, and the species is listed as near threatened. Some parks protect nesting sandbanks during the breeding season.
Where to see skimmers in East Africa
- Tanzania: the Rufiji River and the lakes of Nyerere National Park, where boat trips often pass skimmers resting on sandbanks.
- Uganda: the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Nile in Murchison Falls National Park, both on the standard boat trips.
- Kenya: Lake Turkana and occasionally other large lakes and rivers.
Look for groups of skimmers resting on sandbanks during the day, then watch for them feeding as the light fades.
Boat safaris
A boat trip is the best way to see skimmers, and it adds a different perspective to any safari. Our Queen Elizabeth National Park guide covers the Kazinga Channel cruise, and our Nyerere guide covers the Rufiji.
We plan private safaris across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda, and write from time spent in these parks.
