The winners of Bird Photographer of the Year 2024 have been revealed! This year, over 23,000 photos were entered from photographers all over the world, showing the beauty and challenges of birds. The winning images capture everything from amazing moments of birds in flight to important messages about conservation.
These photos not only celebrate birds but also help raise awareness about the need to protect them. Whether you’re a bird enthusiast or new to bird photography, these winning shots are sure to impress. Let’s take a look at the incredible winners of this year’s competition!
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#1 Comedy Bird Photo, Highly Commended: "Emperor Spy" By Thomas Vijayan
Image credits: © Thomas Vijayan / Bird Photographer of the Year
Bird Photographer of the Year is deeply committed to conservation. This year, the competition contributed £5,000 to its partner charity, Birds on the Brink, which supports grassroots bird conservation projects worldwide.
“The mark of a good photograph is one that either demonstrates artistry or tells a story. The mark of an exceptional one is that it does both,” says Paul Sterry, Birds on the Brink trustee. "This is just such a photograph, portraying a tragic and often overlooked aspect of man’s impact on the environment and an unintended consequence of our species’ high-rise aspirations, which turns out to be yet another devastating threat to wild birds."
#2 Birds In Flight, Silver: "Heavenly Elegant Flight" By Nicolas Groffal
Image credits: © Nicolas Groffal / Bird Photographer of the Year
#3 Bird Behaviour, Highly Commended: "I Also Want To Eat" By Zhikai Wu
Image credits: © Zhikai Wu / Bird Photographer of the Year
Photographers competed across eight categories in the adult competition: Best Portrait, Birds in the Environment, Bird Behaviour, Birds in Flight, Black and White, Urban Birds, Conservation (Single Image), and Comedy Bird Photo. Additionally, special awards were given for Conservation, Portfolio, and Video.
All winning images are featured in a hardcover coffee-table book, published by Princeton University Press, now available online. The book includes a foreword by wildlife cameraman and presenter Simon King and is priced at £30 (HB).
#4 Bird Behaviour, Highly Commended: "Hammer Slam" By Alan Murphy
Image credits: © Alan Murphy / Bird Photographer of the Year
#5 Comedy Bird Photo, Gold: "A Modern Dancer" By Nadia Haq
Image credits: © Nadia Haq / Bird Photographer of the Year
Canadian photographer Patricia Homonylo was named Bird Photographer of the Year for her striking image, When Worlds Collide. The photograph highlights the tragic impact of birds colliding with windows and reflective surfaces in urban areas.
"Each year, more than one billion birds die in North America alone due to collisions with windows," says Homonylo. "I am a conservation photojournalist and 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 honor the lives lost and increase public awareness.
I hope people are shocked by what they see and are moved to act by using bird-safe glass and supporting organizations like FLAP."
Reflected light poses a serious threat to birds. Windows and other reflective surfaces often appear to be a continuation of the landscape, causing birds to fly into them at full speed, often with fatal consequences. The Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) urges individuals and businesses to help mitigate this issue by installing bird-safe films, screens, or window grilles to prevent collisions.
#6 Comedy Bird Photo, Silver: "Open Door" By Robert Gloeckner
Image credits: © Robert Gloeckne / Bird Photographer of the Year
#7 Comedy Bird Photo, Bronze: "Helmetshrikes Preparing To Sleep" By Gary Collyer
Image credits: © Gary Collyer / Bird Photographer of the Year
The Young Bird Photographer of the Year 2024 title was awarded to 14-year-old Spanish photographer Andrés Luis Domínguez Blanco for his uniquely captured image of a nuthatch climbing down an oak tree from a creative perspective.
#8 Best Portrait, Gold: "Winter Pink" By Alan Murphy
Image credits: © Alan Murphy / Bird Photographer of the Year
#9 Best Portrait. Silver: "Swanception" By Samual Stone
Image credits: © Samual Stone / Bird Photographer of the Year
#10 Best Portrait, Highly Commended: "Waterproof" By Christopher Baker
Image credits: © Christopher Baker / Bird Photographer of the Year
#11 Best Portrait, Highly Commended: "The Sicklebill's Yawn" By Pablo Andrés Ortega
Image credits: © Pablo Andrés Ortega / Bird Photographer of the Year
#12 Birds In The Environment, Gold: "Immersion" By Kat Zhou
Image credits: © Kat Zhou / Bird Photographer of the Year
#13 Birds In The Environment, Silver: "Surfing On The Other Side" By Levi Fitze
Image credits: © Levi Fitze / Bird Photographer of the Year
#14 Birds In The Environment, Bronze: "Feeding Frenzy" By Jonas Beyer
Image credits: © Jonas Beyer / Bird Photographer of the Year
#15 Birds In Flight, Gold: "Dawn's Whispers" By Hermis Haridas
Image credits: © Hermis Haridas / Bird Photographer of the Year
#16 Birds In Flight, Highly Commended: "Purple Heron" By Chen Ein-Dor
Image credits: © Chen Ein-Dor / Bird Photographer of the Year
#17 Birds In Flight, Highly Commended: "Long Eared Owl Dive" By Daniel Dietrich
Image credits: © Daniel Dietrich / Bird Photographer of the Year
#18 Comedy Bird Photo, Highly Commended: "Hello Down There" By Emma Healey
Image credits: © Emma Healey / Bird Photographer of the Year
#19 Comedy Bird Photo, Highly Commended: "Opera Owl" By Lorraine Snipper
Image credits: © Lorraine Snipper / Bird Photographer of the Year
#20 15-17 Years, Bronze: "Ruby In The Mouth" By Daniel Martínez
Image credits: © Daniel Martínez / Bird Photographer of the Year
#21 Young Bird Photographer Of The Year 2024; 12-14 Years, Gold: "Perspective" By Andrés Luis Domínguez Blanco
Image credits: © Andrés Luis Domínguez Blanco / Bird Photographer of the Year
#22 Best Portrait, Bronze: "Black Grouse" By Markus Varesvuo
Image credits: © Markus Varesvuo / Bird Photographer of the Year
#23 Birds In The Environment, Highly Commended: "Shoebill" By Ilse Koks
Image credits: © Ilse Koks / Bird Photographer of the Year
#24 Bird Behaviour, Gold: "Scavenger" By Nathaniel Peck
Image credits: © Nathaniel Peck / Bird Photographer of the Year
#25 Bird Behaviour, Silver: "Playful Fledgling" By Jack Zhi
Image credits: © Jack Zhi / Bird Photographer of the Year
#26 Black And White, Silver: "Eclipse" By William Steel
Image credits: © William Steel / Bird Photographer of the Year
#27 Black And White, Highly Commended: "Flying At The Right Angle" By Eden Davies
Image credits: © Eden Davies / Bird Photographer of the Year
#28 Urban Birds, Gold: "Treacherous Journey" By Grzegorz Długosz
Image credits: © Grzegorz Długosz / Bird Photographer of the Year
#29 Urban Birds, Silver: "Apartment" By Boldizsár Szűcs
Image credits: © Boldizsár Szűcs / Bird Photographer of the Year
#30 Urban Birds, Bronze: "Crows Watching TV" By Tomáš Grim
Image credits: © Tomáš Grim / Bird Photographer of the Year
#31 Urban Birds, Highly Commended: "Do You Know Where Your Cat Is?" By Linda Dalton Walker
Image credits: © Linda Dalton Walker / Bird Photographer of the Year
#32 Conservation (Single Image), Highly Commended: "Testing Pupillary Light Reflex" By Michael Eastwell
Image credits: © Michael Eastwell / Bird Photographer of the Year
#33 11 And Under, Gold: "Turbulent Fish Hunt" By Julian Mendla
Image credits: © Julian Mendla / Bird Photographer of the Year
#34 11 And Under, Silver: "Beauty In The Pasture" By Alberto Román Gómez
Image credits: © Alberto Román Gómez / Bird Photographer of the Year
#35 Best Portrait, Highly Commended: "Common Eider Portrait" By Kim Jannike Dahlberg
Image credits: © Kim Jannike Dahlberg / Bird Photographer of the Year
#36 Birds In The Environment, Highly Commended: "Iceberg" By Basileo Stanislao
Image credits: © Basileo Stanislao / Bird Photographer of the Year
#37 Birds In The Environment, Highly Commended: "Burnt Offerings" By David Jackson
Image credits: © David Jackson / Bird Photographer of the Year
#38 Bird Behaviour, Highly Commended: "Shearwater At Lunch" By Henley Spiers
Image credits: © Henley Spiers / Bird Photographer of the Year
#39 Birds In Flight, Highly Commended: "Bramblings" By Mateusz Piesiak
Image credits: © Mateusz Piesiak / Bird Photographer of the Year
#40 Birds In Flight, Bronze: "Water Take-Off" By Suliman Alatiqi
Image credits: © Suliman Alatiqi / Bird Photographer of the Year
#41 Black And White, Highly Commended: "Dignified Pretzel" By Julian Łoziński
Image credits: © Julian Łoziński / Bird Photographer of the Year
#42 Black And White, Bronze: "Snow Turkeys" By Sparky Stensaas
Image credits: © Sparky Stensaas / Bird Photographer of the Year
#43 Black And White, Highly Commended: "Art Of Freedom" By Gabor Baross
Image credits: © Gabor Baross / Bird Photographer of the Year
#44 Urban Birds, Highly Commended: "Blood Pheasants And Buddhist Nuns" By Zhengze Xu
Image credits: © Zhengze Xu / Bird Photographer of the Year
#45 Urban Birds, Highly Commended: "Key West's Wild Chickens & Roosters" By Bill Klipp
Image credits: © Bill Klipp / Bird Photographer of the Year
#46 Conservation (Single Image), Highly Commended: "Trapped" By Yann Bigant
Image credits: © Yann Bigant / Bird Photographer of the Year
#47 Conservation (Single Image), Highly Commended: "Swabbing For Bird Flu" By Glenn Welch
Image credits: © Glenn Welch / Bird Photographer of the Year
#48 15-17 Years, Gold: "Human And Nature" By Emil Wagner
Image credits: © Emil Wagner / Bird Photographer of the Year
#49 15-17 Years, Silver: "Great Reed Warbler" By Iga Linka
Image credits: © Iga Linka / Bird Photographer of the Year
#50 12-14 Years, Bronze: "Aves vs. Arthropoda" By Markus Duhme
Image credits: © Markus Duhme / Bird Photographer of the Year
#51 12-14 Years, Silver: "Sunset Cockatoo" By Matthew Wu
Image credits: © Matthew Wu / Bird Photographer of the Year
#52 11 And Under, Bronze: "Common Kingfisher" By Julian Mendla
Image credits: © Julian Mendla / Bird Photographer of the Year
#53 Overall Winner And Bird Photographer Of The Year 2024; Conservation (Single Image), Gold: "When Worlds Collide" By Patricia Homonylo
Image credits: © Patricia Homonylo / Bird Photographer of the Year
#54 Black And White, Gold: "Hippo Impression" By David Stowe
Image credits: © David Stowe / Bird Photographer of the Year
#55 Bird Behaviour, Bronze: "The Attack" By Tom Schandy
Image credits: © Tom Schandy / Bird Photographer of the Year
#56 Conservation (Single Image), Silver: "Inmates" By Cheng Kang
Image credits: © Cheng Kang / Bird Photographer of the Year
#57 Conservation (Single Image), Bronze: "Postmortem" By Joshua Galicki
Image credits: © Joshua Galicki / Bird Photographer of the Year
