Black Skimmers are common, gregarious, noisy birds in the gull and tern family. These comical-looking birds have a distinctive feeding habit, flying low over the water while skimming their lower mandible, much longer than the upper mandible, in the water.

Carteret Co., NC 9/22/2012.

Carteret Co., NC 9/22/2012.

Flying with Sandwich and Royal Terns.

Carteret Co., NC 9/22/2012.