This is bird note.

That's not a distant dog barking.

It's a black skimmer in flight at the Chinketigue National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia.

This striking black and white bird with a red bill and red feet has a most unusual way of feeding.

It flies low along the surface of the water

with its beak open. The bird's long and narrow lower mandible ankles down into the water.

When it strikes a small fish, the shorter curved upper bill snaps shut. The skimmer rises into the air

and swallows its prey or takes it

back to its young. As skimmers feed by touch, they continue foraging at night when they are less

visible to their prey. Closely related to turns, skimmers nest on sand islands in closely packed

colonies. They depend on undisturbed islands

and abundant small fish, both characteristic of the coastal lagoons of the Atlantic Flyway.

Forage at our website any time, day or night. You're always welcome.

Today you'll find more about black skimmers and the Chinquateague National Wildlife Refuge.

That's birdnote.org.

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