Rynchops
| Skimmers | |
|---|---|
| Black skimmer (R. niger) skimming | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Laridae |
| Genus: | Rynchops Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Type species | |
| Rynchops niger (black skimmer) Linnaeus, 1758
| |
| Species | |
| |
The skimmers, forming the genus Rynchops (from Ancient Greek ῥύγχος (rhúnkhos), meaning "beak", and ὄψ (óps), meaning "face"), are tern-like birds in the family Laridae. The genus comprises three species found in South Asia, Africa, and the Americas. They were formerly known as the scissorbills.