About Rynchops albicollis Swainson, 1838
This species has the scientific name Rynchops albicollis Swainson, 1838, historically also known as the Indian scissors-bill. Adult breeding birds have a black cap that leaves the forehead and nape white, a white body, and a contrasting orange long thick bill with a yellow tip. Like other skimmers, this species has a longer lower mandible than upper mandible; the knife-like lower bill is flexible with a truncated tip, and the upper mandible can move considerably. Young birds have normal-appearing bills, and the lower mandible grows longer with age. The upper body is dark black, and the underparts are white. Long, pointed wings have a white trailing edge, and the bird has a tern-like appearance. It measures 40–43 cm in length with a 108 cm wingspan. The short, forked tail is white with blackish central feathers. Legs and feet are red. Non-breeding adults are duller and browner than breeding birds. Juveniles are grey-brown on their upperparts, with pale fringes on back and wing feathers. Juveniles have more white on the head than adults, and an orange-brown bill with a dark tip. This bird makes a high, nasal screaming kyap-kyap call, but is usually very silent. It can be distinguished from similar species: the American black skimmer is larger and has a black-tipped bill, the African skimmer is smaller, has more black in the tail, and has no white collar. This bird inhabits large rivers, lakes, swamps, and coastal wetlands such as estuaries. It is most common in freshwater habitats, especially during the breeding season. Breeding colonies form on islands or sandy spits, usually within rivers. Documented breeding locations include the Chambal river area (an important habitat for gharials, which also nest on sand banks here), and the Mahanadi river banks at the Munduli barrage, Chandaka Wildlife Division in Cuttack. In recent decades, the species' range has become increasingly fragmented. Currently, it can still be found in parts of Pakistan in the Indus river system of Kashmir, northern and central India along the Ganges, Bangladesh, and Burma. It formerly occurred in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It is a scarce non-breeding visitor to Nepal. It has occurred as a vagrant in Oman and central Thailand, with old records from Iran and China. Today, the species' last strongholds are India and Bangladesh. In winter, the species is more widespread, found in coastal estuaries of western and eastern India; on the western coast it occurs as far south as Karwar, and on the eastern coast it occurs as far south as Chennai and Pondicherry.
