Rhynchopidae – skimmers are common birds all over the world. They are a category of sea birds that resemble the tern. The skimmers of the genus Rhynchops are a unique type in the Rhynchopidae family. They have long bills. The bills are also laterally compressed. The lower mandible is longer that the upper mandible. It is estimated to be one fourth longer. This is an adaptive mechanism for the birds. It assists during the feeding process. The lower mandible does not move but the upper mandible is flexible and moves well during the feeding process.

The skimming technique is the idea behind this bird’s bill. It is the sole way used by these birds use to get food. They immerse the bill into the water's surface when catching the prey. The skimmers mostly feed on shrimp or other types of small fish. These are easily obtained from the water surface. They are also easy to hold using the beak.

The Rhynchopidae – skimmers are partly and gregarious nocturnal in nature. During the day, they have sensitive eyes that narrow to slits. This is because of the strong light. They are comfortable in sight during the night. The bird family has a white and black belly. The largest of these birds is approximately 20cm in width and 50 cm in length. The birds are commonly found in the Atlantic coast. This is in the North part of America as well as on both coasts.

The Rhynchopidae – skimmers are birds with three main species. All of them are water birds. They have a red bill. The bill is bladelike in order to snatch the prey and defeat it when feeding. The bird species usually like living in estuaries. This is along many wide rivers. They are more comfortable in rivers within the warm regions. At twilight, this bird species skim calm. They rest on the shallow waters. At the time, their open bill actually leaves the tip submerged in the water for any prey timing. On hitting a fish or any other crustacean, the upper mandible of the bird snaps down to get the prey and feed on it.

The uniqueness of these three species lies on the distinctive uneven bill. The lower and upper mandible location is also part of the parts uniqueness. The birds fly low and very fast when in the hunting process. The bird species is the only type that has slit-shaped pupils unlike all other categories of birds. In their living, they move singly but some times during breeding, they gather in flocks. This is actually on river as well as the coastal sand banks.

The birds usually lay 3-6 eggs. This is on the sandy beaches. It is with these that they are named after the tropical birds. The female does the incubation. They have a restricted nesting habitat. However, they are most vulnerable to various forms of disturbance within their nests. They are easily spotted by predators therefore are prone to attacks from time to time.