[Adult black skimmer stands on beach and calls.] [Black Skimmer] [The adult and a black skimmer chick stand on the beach. The chick calls. The chick alone stands on the beach and pecks at things with its beak, attempting to eat them. It scratches its head with its foot. The adult is visible again, and the chick turns around and approaches the adult, begging in a crouched position with wings held out, away from the body. The adult ignores the chick, and tucks its beak in its back feathers and under its wing to rest. A much smaller chick approaches an adult and begs. An older chick walks across the sand. An adult has a fish in its beak. A chick comes up and begs, wings out. The adult gives the chick the fish, but it is rather large for the chick. The chick has difficulty swallowing it, but with some time and encouragement from the adult, it eventually manages. A chick begs, but is ignored by the adult. A bunch of adult skimmers and a gull rest on the beach. A chick preens while an adult lays on the sand resting. Another chick walks by and the adult lifts its head.] [Discover more at AllAboutBirds.org]
End of transcriptBlack Skimmer Chicks Beg For Food With a Humorous Pose
Black Skimmer chicks beg for food from their parents by running at them in a crouch posture with wings akimbo. When a parent has something to share, it places the food item into the chick’s beak. Watch as chicks young and old beg for food with mixed results. When a chick finally gets a tasty but fairly large fish, it takes some skill to get it at just the right angle to fit down the throat. In this series of field clips you can also see adults resting with bills tucked into the back feathers or with necks outstretched on the sand, much like sunbathers.