The week in wildlife – in pictures

Spectacular murmurations of wading birds near Snettisham in Norfolk, UK. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

A sea urchin observed with an underwater camera at the Gulf of İzmit in Kocaeli, Turkey. There are about 1,000 species of sea urchins in the world’s seas. The main food source of sea urchins is algae, they cannot live in poor water conditions as they are known for being food for many creatures in marine life Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

A coot swims through duckweed covering the surface of Limehouse Basin marina, London, UK, as the recent warm weather has caused the floating weed to proliferate, starving the water of oxygen much needed by aquatic wildlife, and posing a risk to animals that might mistake it for grass Photograph: Susannah Ireland/Reuters

An European brown hare (Lepus europaeus), known for their manoeuvrability, sensitivity to sound and fast running, looks for food in a field in Bursa, Turkey Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

A monkey takes a drink from a bottle on a pavement in New Delhi, India Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters

Gulls fly in front of the moon as thousands of wading birds, including knot and oystercatcher, move onto dry sandbanks during the month’s highest tides at the Wash estuary, near Snettisham in Norfolk, UK Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Two white rhinos at Lake Nakuru national park in Kenya. Lake Nakuru park is a habitat to more than 100 endangered Rhinos Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock

Beaky the golden eagle, in Scotland. The number of golden eagles in southern Scotland has risen to its highest in 300 years, according to experts. Project managers running a translocation scheme have revealed eight more chicks were successfully moved from other parts of the country to a secret location in southern Scotland this summer to boost previously low numbers Photograph: John Wright/South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project/PA

A bee collects pollen in the early morning sun inside a courgette plant flower in Bristol, as fine weather sits over south-west England Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA

An exhausted peregrine falcon, whose migration journey is followed with a transmitter that was installed in Israel, in Van, Turkey. The falcon is taken under treatment at the 14th regional directorate of nature conservation and national parks in Van Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

A snake hunting a lizard in the Dominical Mountains, Costa Rica. Osa canton, located in the province of Puntarenas in southern Costa Rica, boasts a diverse range of wildlife, including humpback whales, birds, and amphibians. The local inhabitants strive to preserve this rich biodiversity and share it with the many tourists who visit the area annually Photograph: Jeffrey Arguedas/EPA

Geese sit on top of debris consisting of tree branches and logs after a flood hit the Iğneada district of Kırklareli, Turkey [This was amended on 11 September 2023; an earlier version called them ducks] Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

A dragonfly rests on a twig at Marina Bay East park in Singapore Photograph: Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images

Fish swim by a coral reef in coastal Red Sea waters north of the Egyptian port city of Nuweiba Photograph: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images

A sea lion appears on the shore of Bucalemu beach, Chile Photograph: Matías Basualdo/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock

Wild horses roam on the mountain Stolovi in Serbia. A herd of about 40 mares, stallions and foals graze lazily on dry grass over the rugged Stolovi mountain in Serbia’s south-west, one out of three such bands of wild horses in the Balkan country. The horses, mainly from the sturdy Bosnian mountain horse breed, used as pack animals and in agriculture, were brought to Mount Stolovi in the 1970s. Away from humans, the animals gradually became feral, reverting to behaviour more closely resembling that of wild horses Photograph: Zorana Jevtić/Reuters

Threatened pearl darter fish, which haven’t lived in the Pearl River system for 50 years, are released in the Strong River, a tributary of the Pearl River, in Pinola, Mississippi, US. Wildlife experts say a number of pollution and habitat problems probably contributed to the disappearance of the fish Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP

Animal protection society staff release a black kite, a national second-class protected animal, in Altay, Xinjiang, China Photograph: Costfoto/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Glistening green in Mashpi Amagusa reserve, Ecuador by Nicolas Reusens, Spain. This photograph won the best portrait, gold award in the Bird Photographer of the Year 2023. 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.’
Photograph: Nicolas Reusens/2023 Bird Photographer of the Year