These flying creatures have a waxy, waterproof, gray fur covering a winged body designed for gliding and skimming the surface of the ocean. When flying, flood skimmers undergo a twirling rotation whose function remains unknown. The elongated tail resembles the head to confuse predators seeking to strike a fatal blow.
As their name implies, flood skimmers inhabit floodplains, roosting along the shore but foraging at sea.
Flood Skimmers eat small aquatic organisms swimming near the surface of the ocean. They forage at sea for hours each day, repeatedly diving to the surface of the ocean to scoop prey into their vibrant yellow mouths.
Flood Skimmers reproduce sexually, and most are monogamous for life. Pairs court in a series of complex flight patterns, chase each other through the air. Once a male and female become mates, the female will roost next to the male and deposit her eggs into the male’s brood pouch, located under the base of his tail. The male internally fertilizes the eggs, which develop and hatch inside of his brood pouch.
Young flood skimmer hatch within the brood pouch, surviving on nutrients absorbed from the egg for many days after hatching. Once these nutrients have been exhausted, a young flood skimmer will leave the pouch and forage for food. Flood skimmers are born hairless, but soon develop a white down that develops into their adult fur.
The foraging behavior of flood skimmers transports valuable nutrients from water to land. Skimmers consume large quantities of organisms at sea and return to shore to defecate on the ground beneath their roosts. This transport of nutrients helps to sustain organisms that live along the coast.