Species: Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) and Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis).
Location: Southern California, United States.
A female Peregrine Falcon ferociously protects her offspring throughout the mating season, attacking anyone who comes near the nest. The falcon attacked the pelican's head with incredible precision.
2. “Glistening-Green” by Nicolas Reusens. Gold Award Category: Best Portrait.
Species: Glistening-green Tanager (Chlorochrysa phoenicotis).
Location: Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Ecuador.
A rare Glistening-green Tanager on a perfect heart-shaped leaf.
3. “More Fish Please!” by Levi Fitze. Silver Award Category: Comedy Bird.
Species: King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus).
Location: Saunders Island, Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
This juvenile begged and begged for food until the irritated adult went away. However, the fact that the juvenile was larger than the adult implies that the parents did a good job overall.
4. “Sunflower Paradise” by Mateusz Piesiak. Gold Award Category: Birds in the Environment.
Species: Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla).
Location: Lower Silesia, Poland.
A brambling taking advantage of dried, unharvested sunflowers against a wintry sky.
5. “Blue Hour and Red Moon” by Anton Trexler. Young Bird Photographer of the Year and Gold Award Category: 15–17 years.
Species: Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula).
Location: Mainz, Germany.
A blackbird singing in the dead of night.
6. “Parenting Goals” by Thomas Vijayan. Silver Award Category: Best Portrait.
Species: Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri).
Location: Antarctica.
A touching shot of parental love among penguins.
7. “Urban Paradise” by Xiaoke Wang. Silver Award Category: Urban Birds.
Species: Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo).
Location: Shenzhen, China.
Shenzhen is a wintering habitat for about 100,000 migratory birds from October to March. Tens of thousands of Great Cormorants were sighted flying above Talent Park in January 2022, adding to the area's avian variety.
8. “Flying Sword” by Rafael Armada. Gold Award Category: Birds in Flight.
Species: Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera).
Location: Bogotá, Colombia.
A Sword-billed Hummingbird approaching a flower.
9. “Fascinating Droplet” by Jason Moore. Gold Award Category: Black and White.
Species: Musk Duck (Biziura lobata).
Location: Perth, Australia.
A young Musk Duck appears transfixed by a drip of water that falls from its mother's mouth.
10. “No Way Out” by Antonio Aguti. Gold Award Category: Comedy Bird Photo.
Species: Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea).
Location: Lake Chiusi, Italy.
The Purple Heron is a migratory bird that nests in the Italian Peninsula's lake basins and primarily feeds on fish. The heron in this image snagged a huge Crucian Carp (Carassius carassius) and devoured it after repeated tries to roll the fish onto its side.
11. “High-Key Terns” by Harry Sedin. Gold Award Category: 12–14 years.
Species: Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) and Common Tern (Sterna hirundo).
Location: Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.
An Arctic and Common Tern perched together on a railing in winter.
12. “Verditer Flycatcher” by Arko Saha. Gold Award Category: 11 and Under.
Species: Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassinus).
Location: Pelling, Sikkim, India.
The extremely vibrant blue color makes this bird so beautiful.
13. “A Moment of Prayer” by Arto Leppänen. Gold Award Category: Urban Birds.
Species: Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa).
Location: Helsinki, Finland.
This Great Grey Owl chose to hunt in this cemetery which was home to an abundance of voles.
14. “The Dance of the Shadows” by Clément Cornec. Gold Award Category: Birds in the Environment.
Species: Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri).
Location: Adélie Land, Antarctica.
The Emperor Penguin breeds in Antarctica, the coldest place on Earth, during the winter season. It can withstand temperatures as low as -40°C and 250km/h blizzards. Its adaptations enable it to keep its body temperature stable and conserve energy.
15. “Green Planet Flamingos” by Paul Mckenzie. Silver Award Category: Birds in Flight.
Species: Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor).
Location: Lake Bogoria, Kenya.
This aerial shot shows a flock of Lesser Flamingos flying over a vast bloom of cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae), their primary food source. The photograph was taken from the open doors of a small plane.
16. “Blue-Footed Fishing Dive” by Henley Spiers. Silver Award Category: Bird Behavior.
Species: Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii).
Location: Los Islotes, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
A stunning shot of a Blue-footed Booby rising with a sardine in its beak.
17. “The Heron in the Palms” by Yaron Schmid. Silver Award Category: Black and White.
Species: Black-headed Heron (Ardea melanocephala).
Location: Samburu National Reserve, Kenya.
A Black-headed Heron perched on a palm tree branch at Kenya's Samburu National Reserve.
