African Skimmer

Brown Skimmer ( Rynchops flavirostris )

The Brown Skimmer ( Rynchops flavirostris ), also called African Skimmer, an African bird of the order Charadriiformes is ( Charadriiformes ).

Features

The 40 cm long brown Skimmer is a gull- like bird with a large head, long wings, short tail, red legs and a long, red beak with pale tip. The lower mandible is much longer than the upper beak. The plumage is dark brown or black on the upper side. Front, bottom and rear edges of the wings are white.

In the young bird the plumage paler, the beak is shorter and the legs blackish, yellowish.

Occurrence

The breeding distribution of the brown coat - scissors beak extends over large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, where he lives in coastal areas, lakes and rivers. The southern limit of distribution is approximately the Orange.

Behavior

The Brown Skimmer spends most of the day sleeping, brushing and bathing and is essentially only between sunset and sunrise in search of food to avoid encounters with seagulls that can get their hands on the loot. It plows through the bird, flying just above the water, with the lower mandible the water surface. If there is a contact with a fish, he snaps to the upper beak.

Reproduction

The Brown Skimmer breed in colonies with up to 20 breeding pairs. The clutch of two to four eggs are incubated for about three weeks. In scorching heat, the parent birds cool the eggs by settling down with moistened abdomen feathers in the nest. The young birds leave the nest after only one to two days, are supplied by the parents a few weeks. Brood predators, such as skuas are chased away by being aggressively attacked in a nosedive with beak blows. Another defense strategy is to lure enemies by faking an injury of the brood. ( See also: enticing. )

Hazardous situation

The Brown Skimmer is led by the World Conservation Union IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because of little reduced inventory as Near Threatened ( Near Threatened ). In a further decrease in a higher risk category should be selected. As he is considered extinct in South Africa.