Page 164 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2021

LEISURE
GET TO KNOW THE GULF:
Fun Facts
• Found year-round along the Mississippi Coast, black skimmer habitat includes salt marshes, beaches, and the barrier islands.
• Black skimmers are best known for their long lower bills, but they aren’t born that way! Black skimmer chicks have a top and bottom bill of equal length. The lower bill begins growing longer during the chick’s first month of life.
• Black skimmers use their long lower bill to skim along the surface of the water feeling for fish. Since black skimmers use their sense of touch to catch fish, they can feed at any time day or night.
• Skimmers are long and light. The wingspan of a black skimmer is about three and a half feet, but these graceful flyers weigh less than a pound.
• During the spring and summer, black skimmers nest in large, social colonies on the barrier islands and along Mississippi Coast beaches. Skimmers lay their eggs directly on the sand, so keep your distance from nesting birds to protect eggs and chicks.
• Black skimmers are also called shearwaters. Shearwater Pottery uses this name and the image of a black skimmer gliding over the water as their logo.
CLASSIFICATION
CLASS: Aves FAMILY: Laridae GENUS: Rynchops SPECIES: niger
This story is part of Embrace the Gulf 2021, sponsored by Clean Gulf Associates, Hess and Shell.
Take Action! Engage with our ETG 2021 “Call to Action” campaign and show us how you are making a difference in your community.
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