Indian Skimmer

Indian Skimmer Latest News

Recently, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has launched a new conservation project under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) at Dehradun to protect Indian Skimmer in the Ganga Basin.

About Indian Skimmer

• It is one of the three species that belong to the skimmer genus Rynchops in the family Laridae. 
• It gets its name from the way it feeds, flying low over the water surface and ‘skimming’for fish.
• Habitat: It occurs primarily on larger, sandy, lowland rivers, around lakes and adjacent marshes, and, in the non-breeding season, in estuaries and coasts.
• Distribution: It is native to South Asia and mainly found in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, with some populations extending to Nepal and Myanmar.
  • In India, one of the key areas for spotting Indian Skimmers is the Chambal River.
• Conservation status: IUCN: Endangered.
• Threats:  Loss of river habitats, unplanned water release from dams, sand mining, threats from predators.

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Features of Indian Skimmer

• It has a striking appearance. Its upper body is black, while its underbelly is white.
• The most eye-catching feature is its beak, which is orange with a lower mandible that is much longer than the upper one.
• This special beak helps the bird skim across the surface of the water to catch small fish and aquatic creatures.
• The bird’s wings are long and angular, designed for fast, precise flight.

Source: DTE