Bird photographer of the year 2023 winners – in pictures

An image of a peregrine falcon tackling a brown pelican that ventured too close to its nest in California is the overall winner of the world’s largest bird photography competition, which had more than 20,000 entries from all over the world competing for a £5,000 grand prize

Main image: Glistening green, by Nicolas Reusens, Spain – best portrait, gold award Photograph: Nicolas Reusens/Bird photographer of the year 2023

  • Grab the bull by the horns, Jack Zhi, US – bird behaviour, gold award, and overall winner

    Zhi said: ‘During the breeding season, a female peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) fiercely protects her young, attacking anything that comes near the nest. For four years, I attempted to capture these rare moments of her attacking large brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) with incredible speed and agility. The high-speed chase made it challenging to capture a closeup shot with a long lens. The falcon’s precision was amazing as it struck at the pelican’s head.’ Location: southern California, US
    A peregrine falcon and a brown pelican

  • Blue-footed fishing dive, Henley Spiers, UK – bird behaviour, silver award

    Spiers said: ‘In early autumn, a sardine shoal at Los Islotes attracted seabird predators. Amid the shoal, I waited patiently for the elusive shot of a blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) rising with a sardine in its beak. Finally, a crash came down close to me, and I instinctively captured the moment.’ Location: Los Islotes, Baja California Sur, Mexico
    A blue-footed booby

  • A mother’s love, Qiuqing Mu, China – bird behaviour, bronze award

    Mu said: ‘A great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) adult was hunting in a wheat field, and a juvenile flew to the edge of the field to be fed. Suddenly, the parent caught some prey. I quickly pressed the shutter and captured a heartwarming moment between the parent and the next generation.’ Location: Zhejiang, China
    An adult grey owl feeding its young

  • Glistening green, Nicolas Reusens, Spain – best portrait, gold award

    Reusens said: ‘Venturing into the tropical forest, I was excited to spot the rare glistening-green tanager (Chlorochrysa phoenicotis). After hours of waiting, I saw the vivid green bird on a perfect heart-shaped leaf. Its shimmering feathers reflected a dazzling array of colours. I captured every detail, grateful for this magical moment amid the lush jungle backdrop.’Location: Mashpi Amagusa reserve, Ecuador
    Glistening-green tanager bird sitting on a leaf

  • Parenting goals, Thomas Vijayan, Canada – best portrait, silver award

    Vijayan said: ‘Before capturing this image, I spent two days observing these [emperor] penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri), lying flat on the ice to avoid scaring them. Waiting for the chick to appear, I finally got this touching shot of parental love. I trekked eight hours a day on soft snow to reach this colony and even made friends with some penguins.’ Location: Antarctica
    Two penguins with their young

  • Coming storm, Jake Levin, US – best portrait, bronze award

    Levin said: ‘The best place to see Canada jays (Perisoreus canadensis) for those living in Montreal is across the border in upstate New York. During my winter 2022 visit to Adirondack Park, I focused on capturing this species. This image shows a jay seemingly concerned that the snow is ramping up, and rightly so, as it made driving back home a challenge.’ Location: Adirondack Park, New York, US
    A Canadian jay on a snowy branch

  • Flying sword, Rafael Armada, Spain – birds in flight, gold award

    The sword-billed hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera), common in the Andean forests, has the world’s longest bill relative to its size. The bird’s unique bill, which is adapted to feed on flowers with long petals, makes it a vital pollinator as bees and butterflies cannot reach the nectar on these plants. This image captures the bird approaching a feeder, with a natural background and lighting. Location: Bogotá, Colombia
    A sword-billed hummingbird in flight

  • Green planet flamingos, Paul Mckenzie, Ireland – birds in flight, silver award

    This aerial photograph captures a flock of lesser flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor) in flight over a vast and concentrated bloom of cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae), their staple food source. The photo was taken from the open doors of a light aircraft. Location: Lake Bogoria, Kenya
    Lesser flamingos flying over water

  • Common nighthawk in flight, Richard Sanchez, Cuba – birds in flight, bronze award

    Sanchez said: ‘At 10am, a barn owl (Tyto alba) appeared before us and we followed it to a crop field where it began hunting. Nearby, several cooperative common nighthawks (Chordeiles minor) circled around our vehicle. I captured a perfect shot of them in flight, though it was partly a matter of luck.’ Location: Florida, US
    A common nighthawk in flight

  • A moment of prayer, Arto Leppänen, Finland – urban birds, gold award

    Leppänen said: ‘During winter migration, owls from northern Finland often head to the south where they can find more food due to less snow. This great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) chose a cemetery with abundant voles as its hunting ground. While hunting, the owl would often stop on tombstones or other structures to observe the area. Keeping a safe distance, I followed the owl and managed to capture a fleeting moment when it landed briefly on a beautiful angel statue.’ Location: Helsinki, Finland
    A great grey owl perched on a statue

  • Urban paradise, Xiaoke Wang, China – urban birds, silver award

    From October to March, Shenzhen is a wintering ground for more than 100,000 migratory birds. In January 2022, tens of thousands of great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) were spotted flying over Talent Park, adding to the area’s avian diversity. Location: Shenzhen, China
    A flock of great cormorants flying over a city

  • No way out, Antonio Aguti, Italy – comedy bird photo, gold award

    The purple heron (Ardea purpurea) is a migratory bird that nests in the lake basins of the Italian peninsula and feeds mainly on fish, although it also preys on mice, snakes, toads and other creatures. In this shot, the heron caught a large crucian carp (Carassius carassius) and swallowed it after several attempts to turn the fish on to its side. Location: Lake Chiusi, Italy
    A purple heron eating a fish

  • More fish please!, Levi Fitze, Switzerland – comedy bird photo, silver award

    Fitze said: ‘When observing king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus), I was struck by how their behaviour sometimes resembles that of humans. This juvenile constantly begged until the annoyed adult walked away. However, the fact that the juvenile was more massive than the adult suggests good parenting overall.’ Location: Saunders Island, Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
    A king penguin with its young

  • Don’t make war, Ewan Heath-Flynn, UK – conservation, gold award

    A Maltese hunter stands proud, having legally shot a European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur), prized prey on the island. Generations of Maltese have hunted the species and some continue the tradition, which is still permitted during specific periods of the year. Local animal campaigners condemn the practice, saying it could push the species towards extinction. Location: southern Malta
    A hunter with a European turtle dove

  • Seeing eye to eye, Michael Eastwell, UK – conservation, silver award

    Southern boobooks (Ninox boobook), the smallest Australian owl species, are often brought to veterinary hospitals after car accidents. Their large, outward- projecting eyes, which are adapted for low-light hunting, make them vulnerable to injury. In this image, Dr Luke Gregory is examining an owl named Rocket, focusing on the posterior eye, where injuries can be less visible. Location: Bonorong wildlife hospital, Brighton, Tasmania, Australia
    A vet examining an owl

  • Sunflower paradise, Mateusz Piesiak, Poland – birds in the environment, gold award

    Piesiak said: ‘Flooding meant that a field of sunflowers could not be harvested, and thousands of birds, including greenfinches (Chloris chloris), goldfinches (Carduelis carduelis) and bramblings (Fringilla montifringilla) flocked to it in winter. Despite their colourful plumage making them easy targets, when foraging their colours blend with the surroundings, making them hard for predators to spot. Using a wide-angle lens masked with snow and dried sunflowers, I photographed a flock of bramblings from their perspective, with one perched in front of my camera.’ Location: Lower Silesia, Poland
    A brambling perched on a sunflower

  • The dance of the shadows, Clément Cornec, France – birds in the environment, silver award

    The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) breeds during winter in Antarctica, the coldest environment on Earth. It endures temperatures as low as -40C (-40F) during the long polar nights and 155mph (250km/h) blizzards. Adaptations allow the birds to maintain body temperature and conserve energy. Location: Adélie Land, Antarctica
    Emperor penguins in Antarctica

  • Staring at the river, Stefan Gerrits, Netherlands – birds in the environment, bronze award

    Gerrits said: ‘Last winter, I spent considerable time at the Kitka River in Finland photographing white-throated dippers (Cinclus cinclus). The conditions were ideal, with abundant dippers, fresh snow and crystal-clear ice. However, the harsh temperatures, reaching as low as -27C (-16F), were a challenge. I focused on longer-exposure shots, using a 70–200mm lens to capture silky-smooth water in each photo.’ Location: Kuusamo, Finland
    A white-throated dipper on a river

  • Fascinating droplet, Jason Moore, Australia – black and white, gold award

    A young musk duck (Biziura lobata) appears to be mesmerised by a drop of water falling from its mother’s mouth, but it’s actually interested in the morsel of food that she has in her bill. The birds’ coloration may be drab, but they more than make up for it with their beautiful expressions and fascinating displays. Location: Perth, Australia
    A musk duck with their offspring

  • The heron in the palms, Yaron Schmid, Israel – black and white, silver award

    Schmid said: ‘Among Samburu [nature reserve]’s most distinctive features are its doum palms (Hyphaene thebaica). While moving away from the river, I noticed a black-headed heron (Ardea melanocephala) perched on one of the palm tree branches. I asked the guide to stop and captured a minimalistic image using a smaller lens.’ Location: Samburu national reserve, Kenya
    A black-headed heron in a tree

  • Blue hour and red moon, Anton Trexler, Germany – 15-17 years, gold award, and overall young photographer winner

    A Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula) perches on the branch of a tree, creating a moody scene against the backdrop of the dark blue-black night sky and bright yellow-orange moon. Location: Mainz, Germany
    A blackbird on a branch in front of the moon

  • High-key terns, Harry Sedin, Sweden – 12-14 years, gold award

    Sedin said: ‘In a small inlet in Örnsköldsvik, there are terns everywhere during summer. So, one afternoon on an overcast day, I headed down to the water with the goal of photographing terns in flight. Instead of that, I ended up photographing an Arctic (Sterna paradisaea) and common tern (Sterna hirundo) perched together on a railing. By utilising the white of their bodies, the overcast weather and the bright reflections in the water, I captured a high-key image of the two terns.’ Location: Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
    An Arctic and common tern

  • Verditer flycatcher, Arko Saha, India – 11 and under, gold award

    Saha said: ‘Pelling is one of the most beautiful hill stations in India. I observed so many birds when I visited the area. I snapped this very colourful bird [a verditer flycatcher (Eumyias thalassinus)] in a garden near our hotel. The extremely vibrant blue colour makes this bird so beautiful.’ Location: Pelling, Sikkim, India
    A verditer flycatcher on a branch
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