From beautiful swans to break-dancing penguins: The breathtaking winning shots from the 2024 Bird Photographer of the Year competition revealed

This incredible image was taken by Norwegian photographer Tom Schandy in the Falkland Islands and depicts a Southern sea lion hunting a Magellanic penguin. Tom says: ‘The photograph shows a sea lion attacking from underwater in an attempt to capture the penguin on the crest of the wave. In the event, it was successful and this Southern Sea Lion had penguin for breakfast.’ The shot takes the bronze award in the Bird Behaviour category

American photographer Jack Zhi took this breathtaking image of a fledgling peregrine falcon ‘practicing hunting’ in Southern California, snapping up the silver award in the Bird Behaviour category. He says: ‘This peregrine falcon fledgling had been flying for over a week and his skills 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’

This striking image shows a turkey vulture scavenging the remains of an American black bear in West Virginia, USA. The photo takes the gold award in the Bird Behaviour category and was captured by U.S photographer Nathaniel Peck. He says: ‘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. This turkey vulture became a frequent visitor, sometimes spending hours at the carcass’

Finnish photographer Markus Varesvuo captures a black grouse ready for ‘courtship and display’ in Kuusamo, Finland. Markus says the birds ‘spend a couple of hours sizing each other up’ and ‘engaging in mostly mock battles’. His photograph frames ‘the heated breath of a solitary fighter steaming in the cold air’ and takes the bronze award in the Best Portrait category

This enchanting photo was taken in London by UK photographer Samual Stone, who titled it ‘Swanception’. Samual says: ‘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, a swan swam into the perfect spot.’ His shot wins the silver award in the Best Portrait category

This snowy image of a grey-crowned rosy-finch was snapped by U.S photographer Alan Murphy during a stay in Alaska. It takes the gold award in the Best Portrait category. Alan says: ‘They would gather in large flocks next to my hotel. Fortunately for photographers they are a very tame species and they allowed me to set up my tripod and camera to grab a few frames before they all took off. The colours in the background are distant boats in a marina’

Bronze boobies are depicted ‘resting on the water’s surface’ in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez in this image by Kuwaiti photographer Suliman Alatiqi. Suliman dived and ‘ascended from underneath’ to capture an ‘underwater perspective’ of the birds. He says: ‘The greatest difficulty in achieving this photo was having to free-dive with two large strobes, which created a lot of drag.’ The image takes bronze in the Birds in Flight category

French photographer Nicolas Groffal captures the ‘aerial ballet’ of a European goldfinch. Taken in France, the picture secured the silver award in the Birds in Flight category. Nicolas says: ‘Discreetly hidden, I tried to immortalise [its] flight and its delicate trail using a flash and camera in «rear curtain» mode. The mission was challenging – these mischievous little models follow their own dance’

This shot of a Eurasian hoopoe ‘illuminated’ in the sunrise takes the gold award in the Birds in Flight category. It was captured by Indian photographer Hermis Haridas in the United Arab Emirates. Hermis says: ‘It was as if nature had bestowed upon me a gift, a singular composition that encapsulates the essence of the hoopoe’s beauty and grace’

This mesmerising image was taken by Danish photographer Jonas Beyer in Antarctica, with the judges bestowing the photo with a bronze medal in the Birds in the Environment category. Describing how the photo came about, Jonas says: ‘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. I love this perspective of both worlds in one shot’ 

Swiss photographer Levi Fitze took this picture of a ‘surfing’ gentoo penguin in the Falkland Islands. It snaps up the silver award in the Birds in the Environment category. Levi says: ‘Not too long ago, people used to wipe out whole colonies of gentoo penguins and others of their kind. Their eggs were a food source, but the birds themselves were prized because of their layer of fat, which was used to render oil for lighting’

Behold the winner of the Birds in the Environment category – an image taken off the coast of the Isle of Noss in Shetland, Scotland, by U.S photographer Kat Zhou while scuba diving. It shows northern gannets diving into the water on a sunny day, with Kat explaining that ‘the species is Scotland’s largest seabird’, one that’s ‘remarkably adept in the water, with the ability to dive to depths as far as 22 metres’ 

Three wild turkeys in Minnesota are ‘transformed into abstract art’ in this quirky image by U.S photographer Sparky Stensaas, which was taken through a living room window. Sparky says: ‘Most photographers say you should never shoot through window glass, but rules were made to be broken!’ The photo wins the bronze award in the Black and White category

This spellbinding image by South African photographer William Steel captures a grey heron ‘illuminated by a full moon’ in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, an image so striking that it takes the silver award in the Black and White category

This magnificent image of a hoary-headed grebe ‘disappearing below the surface of the water to feed’ in Sydney, Australia, wins gold in the Black and White category. Australian photographer David Stowe took the image from a ‘raised platform’, explaining: ‘With a little bit of imagination, the combination of bird and ripples look like the head of a hippo’

White-crested helmetshrikes are captured ‘preparing to sleep’ in Sabi Sands Nature Reserve, South Africa, in this shot by UK photographer Gary Collyer, taken while on a game drive. It takes third place in the Comedy Bird category. Gary says: ‘We heard chattering and fluttering high above us. When illuminated with the lamp on the vehicle, we saw these helmetshrikes huddling together’

Robert Gloeckner, from the U.S, photographs an eastern screech-owl ‘leaning out the «window» of its home’ in Clearwater, Florida. Robert says: ‘These tiny owls are common in Florida’s densely populated areas. On my way to work one day I spotted a dead palm tree in Clearwater that had likely looking holes in its trunk. Later that day I checked again and spotted this owl peeking out of it.’ He wins the silver prize in the Comedy Bird category

This image, humorously titled ‘Modern Dancer’, captures an Adélie penguin ‘dancing’ in Antarctica. U.S photographer Nadia Haq wins the gold award in the Comedy Bird category for the shot and explains: ‘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’

Tomas Grim, from the Czech Republic, captures crows ‘watching’ Berlin’s iconic 1,207ft-tall TV Tower – the tallest structure in Germany – and takes home the bronze award in the Urban Birds category. He says of the January photo: ‘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. The dark scene coupled with mostly cold tones perfectly captured my feelings. However, the sprinkle of warmer colours gave a hope of better times in the spring… ‘

Nesting common kestrels are snapped in a nest box in Hungary in this panorama by Hungarian photographer Boldizsar Szucs, which wins the silver award in the Urban Birds category. Boldizsar used several frames to create the image, saying: ‘Kestrels have become urbanised due to the abundance of food in cities and the presence of tall buildings for nesting’

Grzegorz Dlugosz, a Polish photographer, depicts goosanders on a ‘treacherous journey’ over a road near the River Vistula in Warsaw, Poland. The photo wins the gold award in the Urban Birds category. Grzegorz says: ‘Each mother has to move her brood to the river [from the park] as quickly as possible’ and ‘a group of volunteers help them cross this deadly road by stopping the traffic’

This striking image of a grey plover on a ‘beautiful beach’ on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast takes the gold award in the 15-17 years category. It was taken by young German photographer Emil Wagner

A Eurasian nuthatch is pictured climbing an oak tree in southern Spain in this breathtaking photo from Spanish photographer Andrés Luis Domínguez Blanco. It takes the top prize in the 12-14 years category and wins the Young Bird Photographer of the Year award. Andrés used a ‘remote-control set up’ to take the image and ‘just had to wait’ for this winning shot

A Eurasian Bittern takes part in a ‘turbulent fish hunt’, as captured by German photographer Julian Mendla at Germany’s Lake Federsee. It snaps up gold in the 11 years and under category. Julian says: ‘As soon as the lake freezes over, these rare birds retreat to trenches through the reeds. Surprisingly, this individual was very close to the boardwalk that leads through the nature reserve’

This shot, taken by U.S photographer Joshua Galicki on Scotland’s Isle of Noss, shows a deceased northern gannet ‘hanging from a fishing line’ as its ‘former peers go about their daily lives’. Joshua continues: ‘Gannets are known to use a variety of artificial nest material, and this is yet another threat to their numbers.’ The image takes bronze in the Conservation category

This ‘poignant image’ taken by Australian photographer Cheng Kang captures two lovebirds ‘appearing to say their final farewells’ in ‘the harsh reality of Bali’s bird markets’ and wins silver in the Conservation category. Cheng says: ‘Who knows what joys they would have experienced together in their lush native rainforests’

The winner of this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year award is Patricia Seaton Homonylo. Her masterpiece shows migratory birds killed as a result of window collisions. Canadian Patricia explains: ‘I have been working with the Fatal Light Awareness Program, where we save window-collision survivors in Toronto. Sadly, most of the birds we find are already dead. They are collected and at the end of the year we create this impactful display to honour the lives lost and increase public awareness’