About the bird – The skimmers are a small family of specialized shorebirds found widely in the North & South America, Africa, and in India. Skimmers often roost with gulls and terns. The three species are so closely related that some have considered them all one global species, a situation that recalls others closely-related groupings such as oystercatchers or the stilts. Skimmers are social birds, nesting in colonies and usually roosting with gulls and terns (top photo), but they forage alone or in small parties. They are closely related to gulls and terns.