© Jannik Jansons / Bird Photographer of the YearThe Giant. Gold Winner, Black and White. “Using a wide-angle lens, I photographed a shag taking off on the Norwegian island of Hornøya. In the image it looks like a gigantic bird flying over all the others, but in reality the bird is flying very close to the lens and therefore appears much larger.” European shag and common guillemot, Hornøya, Varanger, Norway.© Chen Ein-Dor / Bird Photographer of the YearSwollen Chest. Bronze Winner, Bird Behavior. “When a male Asian houbara (also known as Macqueen’s bustard) performs his courtship dance, he puffs out his beautiful white breast feathers and starts running around, usually in a prominent place—all in order to attract a mate. This bustard is normally very shy and difficult to see due to its wonderfully cryptic plumage. For this reason, the best time to photograph these birds is during the breeding season when the males are displaying. For many years I have dreamed of photographing a bustard dancing in the desert and finally, with a lot of patience and a stroke of luck, I managed to approach one slowly until I got close enough to capture him strutting his stuff.” The center of the Negev, Israel.© Andreas Hemb / Bird Photographer of the YearLanding in a Sea of Swans. Silver Winner, Creative Perspectives. “Nothing heralds the arrival of spring more evocatively than the sight and sound of migrant birds in Sweden, with the appearance of whooper swans being a particular highlight. I took this image at dusk as the swans were gathering in a field next to a lake. Using a slow shutter speed to emphasise motion, I tracked one of the swans as it came in to land, aiming to capture its grace against an abstract sea of swans on the ground.” Tysslingen, Örebro, Sweden.© Jim Lee / Bird Photographer of the YearOn My Own. Bronze Winner, Black and White. “I was watching this fledgling buffy fish owl perched in a tree when heavy rain began to fall. I took shelter while keeping the owl in sight, waiting for the right moment. It flew down to a low, unlit street light and I quickly stepped out to photograph it.” The Oval, Singapore.© Luca Lorenz / Bird Photographer of the YearSnowstorm. Bronze Winner, Best Portrait. “I was photographing a small flock of alpine choughs at 2,300 meters in the Swiss Alps when the temperature dropped to a biting −10°C and the wind whipped snow across the ground in swirling gusts. Yet the choughs, perfectly adapted to these harsh conditions, seemed completely unfazed as they hopped around, searching for scraps left behind by tourists.” Gemmi Pass, Switzerland.© Sasha Jumanca / Bird Photographer of the YearGraceful Flight Over Wild Bloom. Gold Winner, 11 and Under. “While exploring the Danube Delta in Romania this summer, I discovered a European bee-eater colony in a nesting cliff where the birds were tirelessly chasing prey for their chicks nestled in the burrows. The birds were flying over a field of wildflowers, whose colors beautifully mirrored the bee-eaters’ plumage. I was captivated by their agility as they swiftly changed speed and direction, tracking insects through the air. After many attempts, I finally captured this bird in flight, its wings fully spread, showing the beautiful colors of its feathers in great harmony with the flowers.” Mahmudia, Romania.© Benoit Henrion / Bird Photographer of the YearSainte Trinité. Bronze Winner, Urban Birds. “This disused French chapel was occupied by barn owls who had no flat surfaces on which they could nest. So I installed a nest box inside and was surprised and delighted when, a year and a half later, a pair settled in and bred successfully. The photo was taken from my hide tent at dusk, the light coming from the street lamps that had just been turned on.” Hauts-de-France, France.© Maxime Legare-Vezina / Bird Photographer of the YearVoice of the Ash Forest. Silver Winner, Best Portrait. “After the devastating wildfires of summer 2024, I visited Jasper to witness the desolation. In the scorched landscape, where ash covered everything, only a few animals had returned. Among them, common ravens were some of the first to reclaim the land. This one, perched on a charred tree, was calling out, as if mourning the loss of its kingdom.” Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.© Tomasz Michalski / Bird Photographer of the YearMinimalist Wings. Gold Winner, 15–17 Years, and Young Bird Photographer of the Year 2025. “I took this photo during the biggest trip of my life, which was to Central America in July 2024, in the first country we visited, Nicaragua. I saw this big vulture drying its wings on a pole close to our hotel. I was being watched by the bird but it was very calm so I had a long time to photograph it. The scenery wasn’t beautiful so I decided to frame it with only part of the bird being in the photo.” Popoyo, Nicaragua.© Steffen Foerster / Bird Photographer of the YearTriumphant Arrival. Bronze Winner, Birds in the Environment. “I photographed this group of king penguins emerging from the ocean on a cloudy summer morning. I lay flat on the shore to capture both the dramatic sky and the reflections in the wet sand. When one of the penguins started trumpeting and pointing its head towards the clouds, it felt to me like a celebration of life, a triumph over the dangers of traversing the vast ocean in search of food.” Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands (Malvinas).© Steffen Foerster / Bird Photographer of the YearBloody Petrel. Gold Winner, Best Portrait. “Giant petrels are the scavengers of the Southern Ocean, often seen feeding on carrion. This individual has its head stained red with blood from a recent meal.” Sea Lion Island, Falkland Islands (Malvinas).© Liron Gertsman / Bird Photographer of the YearThe Frigatebird and the Diamond Ring. Gold Winner, Birds in Flight, and Bird Photographer of the Year 2025. “After well over a year of planning and about a week of in-person scouting on the coast of Sinaloa in Mexico, my dream of capturing a bird in front of a total solar eclipse finally came true on April 8, 2024. Totality was due to last almost 4.5 minutes, and I had enlisted the help of a boat to position myself near some islets off Mazatlán that were frequented by seabirds. As the moon uncovered the sun’s edge at the end of totality, I captured this magnificent frigatebird in front of the spectacular eclipse phase known as the ‘diamond ring’, a moment that lasts just seconds.” Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico.© Mateusz Piesiak / Bird Photographer of the YearKing of the Forest. Silver Winner, Bird Behavior. “This male capercaillie, illuminated by the first rays of the rising sun, had perched in the ideal spot. The emotions I felt are hard to put into words. Overwhelmed by the scene, I forgot to adjust my camera settings, resulting in most of the photos being blurry. Thankfully, though, a few turned out sharp!” Jura, Switzerland.© Tibor Litauszki / Bird Photographer of the YearOverflight. Bronze Winner, Birds in Flight. “It was January and nature had created some very interesting shapes in the saline lakes near Akasztó in Hungary. I sent up my drone and was looking for the right composition when a dozen geese suddenly flew into view. I immediately started taking photos and luckily everything fell into place—the composition as well as the geese.” Akasztó, Hungary.© Alex Pansier / Bird Photographer of the YearFeathered on Panels. Gold Winner, Urban Birds. “A lone bird rests on a vast field of solar panels alongside a highway in the Netherlands—a striking symbol of the tension between green energy and nature. As we transition to sustainable power, the infrastructure often claims scarce space that could have been left for wildlife.” Near a highway, Netherlands.© Francesco Guffanti / Bird Photographer of the YearAngel or Demon. Gold Winner, Bird Behavior. “A red deer killed by a car in the pine forest near where I live provided a fantastic opportunity to document the activity of carnivores and scavengers visiting the carcass. With the help of a friend I positioned and camouflaged a motion sensor and two mirrorless cameras nearby. To avoid any disturbance I avoided the use of flashes or any other type of artificial light. After foxes, crows and some small birds had paid a visit, most unexpectedly, and despite the thick blanket of branches, a golden eagle appeared and descended to feed on the carcass.” Aosta Valley, Italy.© Franco Banfi / Bird Photographer of the YearFeasting at Sunset. Gold Winner, Birds in the Environment. “I was in the Sea of Cortez, near Los Islotes, a fistful of rocks that is part of the Espíritu Santo archipelago, to document the unbelievable recovery of this marine protected area. Los Islotes is the southernmost breeding site of the California sea lion in the Northern Hemisphere, but it is a wonderfully wild place for many other reasons. I was fascinated by the extraordinary skills and elegance of Brandt’s cormorants as they fed on an almost endless school of small pilchards.” Espíritu Santos, Mexico.© Levi Fitze / Bird Photographer of the YearStructures. Silver Winner, Birds in the Environment. “I spotted this rock ptarmigan walking slowly up a snowy hillside in the Swiss mountains on a frozen winter’s day. Ptarmigans are masters of camouflage, their white winter plumage blending in so well with the snow. I noticed that the footprints this bird was leaving in the snow, emphasised by the low, flat light, were perhaps more noticeable than the bird itself. I framed the image so that the bird was part of the picture to highlight its expansive environment and show the wonderful textures in the snow.” Alpstein, Switzerland.To see all of this year’s winners, be sure to visit the Bird Photographer of the Year website.