Murder is Everywhere: Skimmers

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Skimmers

For those of us who are interested in birds, one prize sighting in southern Africa is the African Skimmer (Rynchops flavirostris for those who care).

They have long wings, with a black back and neck, and a black crown. The rest of the body is white, with a bright, long, orange beak that ends with a yellow tip. They have a white forked tail, and their legs are bright red. The average size is about 38 cm (15 in) long. They are near endangered because their riverbank habitat is disappearing.

From a physiological perspective, what is very interesting is their bill structure: the lower mandible is much longer than the upper mandible, and is flattened sideways like scissor blades.

African skimmer

They eat by flying gracefully just above the water, of the Kavango River for example. The lower mandible skims the water and when it touches a fish, the beak snaps shut and dinner is served.

Simmer skimming

As they fish mainly at dawn and dusk, it is a magnificent sight to watch a handful of these bird fishing with a red sun providing the backdrop.

Michael and I have seen skimmers on several occasions while researching the Kubu series – always moments of great excitement. You can see some lovely examples of this beautiful bird skimming here. I suggest you fast forward to 1:40.

I am so enamoured with the skimmer that I commissioned an artist I met many years ago to create one for me. This is it. I love it.