Winners of the Bird Photographer of the Year 2024

The winning entries in this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year competition were just announced. Patricia Homonylo was named the overall winner for her conservation-themed image of the thousands of birds killed in one year by colliding with windows and other reflective surfaces in urban areas. Competition organizers were once more kind enough to share some of the other winners here, selected from a field of more than 23,000 entries.

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A Modern Dancer. Gold Winner, Comedy Bird Photo. "I was sitting on a Zodiac next to my husband and 10-year-old son near Brown Bluff, Antarctica, when we spotted a group of Adélie penguins on some sea ice. As we slowly approached them, they started to toboggan on the ice, and I captured one of them sliding as if performing a modern dance move." # © Nadia Haq / Bird Photographer of the Year
Playful Fledgling. Silver Winner, Bird Behavior. "This Peregrine falcon fledgling had been flying for over a week and his skills had improved by the day. While he still took food from parents, he had started to practice his hunting skills. He was not good enough to catch live birds in the air yet, so he took baby steps by chasing a fluttering butterfly. He was certainly much faster than the butterfly and also nimble enough to keep up with it. Look at the concentration! He was successful on occasion, caught the butterfly, played with it for a second, then released it." # © Jack Zhi / Bird Photographer of the Year
Surfing on the Other Side. Silver Winner, Birds in the Environment. "In autumn 2022 I had the chance to visit the Falkland Islands. During my last days on the islands, I found an area along a beach where Gentoo penguins surf in the waves when coming back from their hunting dives. After many attempts I got exactly the image I was hoping for." # © Levi Fitze / Bird Photographer of the Year
Eclipse. Silver Winner, Black and White. "Here we see a grey heron as it looks for a roosting place in the top of a dead tree, illuminated by a full moon. Knowing that it was a penumbral lunar eclipse, my guests and I went in search of a distinctive subject to place in front of it. As the heron jostled for position alongside some larger marabou storks, we managed to capture the moment just before the heron flew away." # © William Steel / Bird Photographer of the Year
Swanception. Silver Winner, Best Portrait. "I conceived the idea for this image some time ago, but each time I attempted to turn it into reality one of the elements was not right. It felt like I was in a creative rut and I had not taken an image I was really happy with for a while. On this particular morning, I decided to return to this idea out of desperation. I spotted my local mute swans in their usual spot, preening in the morning light. Fortunately, it was also a crisp morning, and the mist was slowly descending, creating a soft morning glow. After so many attempts, everything finally came together when a swan swam into the perfect spot. Finally, I created the image I had pictured in my mind." # © Samual Stone / Bird Photographer of the Year
Immersion. Gold Winner, Birds in the Environment. "Here we see a trio of northern gannets diving into the ocean on a sunny day in Shetland. The species is Scotland’s largest seabird, and they are remarkably adept in the water, with the ability to dive to depths as far as 22 meters. I took this photo while scuba diving from a boat near Noss, which is home to the UK’s seventh largest colony of northern gannets. In the past the population has been estimated at around 25,000 birds, though their numbers were unfortunately severely reduced by the avian flu outbreak. It is unclear when, or if, their population will be able to recover. Dead herring from a local herring fishery were used to attract the birds to the boat." # © Kat Zhou / Bird Photographer of the Year
When Worlds Collide. Overall Winner and Gold Winner, Conservation. "Each year during spring and fall migration over 1.3 billion birds die in North America as a result of window collisions. A network of dedicated volunteers heads out each morning to pick up the pieces. For over 30 years FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Program) volunteers have patrolled cities worldwide in search of birds that have collided with windows. While their efforts have saved an impressive number of bird collision survivors, the majority do not survive the impact. But the fallen birds are never left behind. Their bodies are collected and their lives honored in the annual ‘Bird Layout’. The Layout brings volunteers together to arrange the dead birds in an emotive and provocative display. While The Layout honors the fallen birds and brings closure for the volunteers, it is also a critical event that raises public awareness and highlights a global issue. I have volunteered with FLAP for four years and attend The Layout annually. From hawks to hummingbirds, this 2022 display includes more than 4,000 birds." # © Patricia Seaton Homonylo / Bird Photographer of the Year
Treacherous Journey. Gold Winner, Urban Birds. "Goosanders breed in the park about 1 kilometer from Poland’s life-giving River Vistula. Each mother has to move her brood to the river as quickly as possible due to lack of food and safety in the park. They make the journey through a series of underground passages and over a six-lane highway. Each year a group of volunteers help them cross this deadly road by stopping the traffic. After crossing they arrive at the River Vistula where they can feed and grow. This image shows a mother goosander crossing a smaller road because she decided not to use the scary and dark underground passage below it." # © Grzegorz Dlugosz / Bird Photographer of the Year
Crows Watching TV ... Tower. Bronze Winner, Urban Birds. "Berlin Television Tower, the tallest structure in Germany, provides a great background for urban photography. But in January it turned out to be a challenge: I was freezing, it was dark from sunrise to sunset, and pictures were poor. Disappointed, I stumbled upon a mixed hooded crow and jackdaw roost, conveniently positioned against the desired tower." # © Tomáš Grim / Bird Photographer of the Year
Scavenger. Gold Winner, Bird Behavior. "In early March 2023, the remains of an American black bear were discovered by hikers along a rushing mountain stream in West Virginia. It was very clear from the large patches of missing fur that the bear had died after a battle with mange. After being informed of the carcass and securing permission, I set up a DSLR camera trap that took images of all the animals that came in to investigate and scavenge off the bear. The set-up remained in place for six months. As the weather warmed in spring, this turkey vulture became a frequent visitor, sometimes spending hours at the carcass." # © Nathaniel Peck / Bird Photographer of the Year
Black Grouse. Bronze Winner, Best Portrait. "For several weeks each year, black grouse gather at leks on spring mornings for courtship and display. It can still be quite wintry and cold. They fly in before sunrise and land in the trees on the edge of the lek. Eventually the males come down, each claiming their patch, and spend a couple of hours sizing each other up, charging at each other, engaging in mostly mock battles. Sometimes, however, the encounters escalate to real fights. The heated breath of a solitary fighter is steaming in the cold air, which I captured while sitting inside a small photography hide, reveling in the sounds and sights of this ancient play." # © Markus Varesvuo / Bird Photographer of the Year
Helmet shrikes Preparing to Sleep. Bronze Winner, Comedy Bird Photo. "We were on a safari, and returning to camp in Sabi Sands, South Africa, on a dark March evening. We stopped, having picked up some unusual sounds, although unsure what they were. Then we heard chattering and fluttering high above us. When illuminated with the lamp on the vehicle, we saw these helmet shrikes huddling together against a night that was starting to turn colder." # © Gary Collyer / Bird Photographer of the Year
Perspective. Young Bird Photographer of the Year 2024, and Gold Winner, 12–14 Years. "I photographed this Eurasian nuthatch at Grazalema in southern Spain using a wide-angle lens. An oak tree next to a river provides cover for species such as woodpeckers and nuthatches coming down to drink. I was using a remote-control set-up, and I just had to wait. Since these species like to climb trunks, I thought about what their vision and perspective would be like." # © Andrés Luis Domínguez Blanco / Bird Photographer of the Year
Feeding Frenzy. Bronze Winner, Birds in the Environment. "I was cruising in a Zodiac when I saw a group of cape petrels in the water. As I approached I could see they were feeding on something, along with giant petrels and snow petrels. I had my big underwater rig with me and thought it was a chance for a split sea surface photo. As I slowly drifted closer, I noticed all the birds were too busy feeding to care about me being around. So I ‘parked’ the boat next to some ice, leaned over the side and dropped my underwater housing in the water, then waited for the birds to come close. I really wanted to capture a photo showing both above and below the surface. Even though we cannot see exactly what they are feeding on, I love this perspective of both worlds in one shot." # © Jonas Beyer / Bird Photographer of the Year
Heavenly Elegant Flight. Silver Winner, Birds in Flight. "In the dead of winter, I marvel at the aerial ballet of the garden birds that come to visit my trees and to take advantage of the seeds that I put out for them. Discreetly hidden, I tried to immortalize their flight and its delicate trail using a flash and camera in ‘rear curtain’ mode. The mission was challenging and these mischievous little models followed their own dance. However, it is precisely this spontaneity that makes the photographic challenge exhilarating! Hundreds of shots were required before I captured the perfect moment, which portrayed the fleeting magic of nature in winter." # © Nicolas Groffal / Bird Photographer of the Year

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