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The Scissor-bill or Skimmer.
(Rhynchops flavirostris.)
The beaks of the Skimmers differ from those of all other birds by having the lower mandible much longer than the upper, both mandibles being flat, thin and flexible, like the blade of a paper-knife. The birds fly along close to the surface of a lake or river with its lower mandible cutting the water, scooping up the little fishes swimming near the surface, and then gripping them with the upper mandible which, unlike that of most other birds, is movable. The Scissor-bill is related to the Terns, and apart from its beak, resembles them in size and form.