Shot of sea bird wins Bird Photographer of the Year
From a stunning solar eclipse shot to a surreal image of a kingfisher flying over art in the Italian alps, the winners of largest bird photography competition are in.
An image of frigatebird silhouetted against a total solar eclipse has won top prize in Bird Photographer of the Year 2025.
Liron Gertsman, from Canada, won for his atmospheric image taken in Mexico for which he won the £UK3500 (NZ$8120) prize.
Photographers from all over the world entered 33,000 images into the world’s largest bird photography competition.
Gertsman captured the image at Mazatlán in southern Mexico in a phase of the eclipse phase known as the diamond ring, “a moment that lasts mere seconds,” he said.
Overall Winner was The Frigatebird and the Diamond Ring by Liron Gertsman.
Liron Gertsman / Bird Photographer of the Year
“This photograph is a striking reminder of what human creativity can achieve. In a world increasingly filled with AI imagery, it’s refreshing to celebrate a picture that is both awe-inspiring and rooted in the natural world,” director of the competition, Will Nichols, wrote in a statement.
Tomasz Michalski won Young Bird Photographer of the Year for his striking vulture silhouette.
Tomasz Michalsk / Bird Photographer of the Year
Tomasz Michalski, a 16-year-old Polish photographer, won the Young Bird Photographer of the Year for his silhouette of a black vulture.
He took the picture on a trip to Nicaragua when he spotted the bird drying its wings on a pole near his hotel. The surrounding scenery was nondescript, so he framed the shot tightly with only part of the bird showing.
Photographers competed in eight different categories in the adult competition: Best portrait, birds in the environment, bird behaviour, birds in flight, black and white, urban birds, conservation and creative perspectives.
Winner Best Portrait
'Bloody Petrel' by Steffen Foerster won Best Portrait.
Steffen Foerster / Bird Photographer of the Year
This picture shows a giant petrel in the Southern Ocean, its head stained red from a recent meal.
Winner Bird Behaviour
Francesco Guffanti, Italy, won Bird Behaviour for this picture of a golden eagle in Aosta Valley Italy feeding on a red deer.
Francesco Guffanti / Bird Photographer of the Year
A red deer killed by a car in a pine forest allowed Francesco Guffanti to capture this image documenting the activity of scavengers - he was delighted when after foxes and crows had had their feed, a golden eagle descended.
Winner Birds in the Environment
'Feasting at Sunset' by Franco Banfi from Switzerland won Birds in the Environment.
Franco Banfi / Bird Photographer of the Year
This image shows a Brandt's cormorant feasting on a school of pilchards in the Sea of Cortez.
Winner Black and White
'The Giant' by Jannik Jansons won best black and white of a shag taking off from a Norwegian island.
Jannik Jansons / Bird Photographer of the Year
This wide-angle lens shot shows a European shag taking off from the Norwegian island of Hornøya.
Winner Creative Perspectives
Philipp Egger's picture of a kingfisher flying over a piece of artwork won Creative Perspectives.
Philipp Egger / Bird Photographer of the Year
For this shot, Phillip Egger placed an artwork across a small stream in the Italian Alps and then waited for days in a camouflaged tent triggering his camera with a radio remote release when the kingfisher flew over it.
Winner Urban Birds
Alex Pansier of the Netherlands won Urban Birds for this shot of a lone bird on a vast field of solar panels.
© Alex Pansier / www.birdpoty.com
Alex Pansier captured this fleeting encounter between a carrion crow and modern day monoculture alongside a highway in the Netherlands.
Winner Conservation
Radiographing an injured common-hawk cuckoo in India.
Sarthak Agrawal / Bird Photographer of the Year
An injured juvenile common hawk cuckoo is rescued in India after being hit by a vehicle.
