Black Skimmer

Rynchops niger

'Skimmer' is for how it feeds, flying low with its lower bill slicing through the water. Its scientific name, Rynchops, means 'cut-off bill,' and its upper bill is noticeably shorter than the lower.

Rynchops joins the Greek rhunkhos, 'bill,' and koptō, 'to cut off'; niger is Latin for 'black.'