CreatureData

Indian skimmer

Rynchops albicollis Swainson, 1838

ENEndangeredbirds

The Indian skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) is a species in the family Laridae, order Charadriiformes. Recorded adults weigh about 371 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Endangered.

Indian skimmer (Rynchops albicollis)
Photo: Davidvraju · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the Indian skimmer

Weight
371 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
1.02 m – 1.14 msrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
riverinesrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2.8src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Aerialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the Indian skimmer?

INDIAN SKIMMER · WINGSPAN 1.14 MADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 1.14 m, the recorded maximum wingspan of the Indian skimmer is about 67% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the Indian skimmer live?

Not recorded

What is the Indian skimmer?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Indian skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) or Indian scissors-bill, is one of the three species that belong to the skimmer genus Rynchops in the family Laridae. They are somewhat tern-like but like other skimmers, have a short upper mandible and the longer lower mandible that is ploughed along the surface of water as the bird flies over the water to pick aquatic prey. It is found in southern Asia, where it is patchily distributed and declining in numbers. They are mainly found in rivers or estuaries. They are very brightly marked in black, white and orange, making them difficult to miss.

From the Wikipedia article “Indian skimmer” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indian_skimmer&oldid=1354978688), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the Indian skimmer endangered?

The Indian skimmer is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.

How is the Indian skimmer classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderCharadriiformes
  5. familyLaridae
  6. genusRynchops
  7. SpeciesRynchops albicollis Swainson, 1838

Synonyms Rhynchops albicollis

Other names and names in other languages (51)
  • أبو مقص الهنديArabic
  • picutisoria indiuAsturian
  • Белогуш водорезBulgarian
  • দেশি গাঙচষাBangla
  • bec de tisora asiàticCatalan
  • Rynchops albicollisCebuano
  • zoboun asijskýCzech
  • zoboun bělokrkýCzech
  • sgimiwr IndiaWelsh
  • Indisk SaksnæbDanish
  • IndienscherenschnabelGerman
  • Halsband-ScherenschnabelGerman
  • Indischer ScherenschnabelGerman
  • Hinda tondilbekuloEsperanto
  • hindia tondilbekuloEsperanto
  • Rayador indioSpanish
  • india käärnokkEstonian
  • آب شکافPersian
  • آبشکاف هندیPersian
  • intiansaksinokkaFinnish
  • Bec-en-ciseaux à collierFrench
  • Sciméar IndiachIrish
  • Skimmeyder InjinaghManx
  • גיזרן הודיHebrew
  • גזרן לבן-צווארHebrew
  • indijski vodosijekCroatian
  • indiai ollóscsőrűHungarian
  • Becco a cesoia indianoItalian
  • Becco a forbice indianoItalian
  • シロエリハサミアジサシJapanese
  • indinis žirkliasnapisLithuanian
  • Indijas smēlējzīriņšLatvian
  • മീൻകോരിMalayalam
  • पाणचिराMarathi
  • झाँझर चिउवाNepali
  • Indische schaarbekDutch
  • indiasaksenebbNorwegian
  • brzytwodziób indyjskiPolish
  • ھندستانی سکمرWestern Panjabi
  • talha-mar-indianoPortuguese
  • Bico-de-tesoura-indianoPortuguese
  • talha-mar-asiáticoPortuguese
  • Индийский водорезRussian
  • zobáľ bielokrkýSlovak
  • Indijski vodosekSerbian
  • indisk saxnäbbSwedish
  • นกกรีดน้ำThai
  • Hint MakasgagasıTurkish
  • водоріз індійськийUkrainian
  • 剪嘴鷗Chinese
  • 剪嘴鸥Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the Indian skimmer

Other species in the same genus Rynchops.

CompareIndian skimmer vs Black skimmerIndian skimmer vs African skimmer

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the Indian skimmer?

An adult Indian skimmer weighs 371 g and has a wingspan of 1.02 m – 1.14 m, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the Indian skimmer endangered?

The Indian skimmer is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

What kind of animal is the Indian skimmer?

The Indian skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) belongs to the family Laridae in the order Charadriiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Indian skimmer (Rynchops albicollis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/indian-skimmer

MLA

“Indian skimmer (Rynchops albicollis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/indian-skimmer.

BibTeX
@misc{indian_skimmer_2026,
  title = {Indian skimmer (Rynchops albicollis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/indian-skimmer},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}