Bird Photographer of the Year 2025: Profitable images reveal drama of chicken life, from looking to a photo voltaic eclipse

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An enormous petrel, its white feathers stained pink with blood; a cormorant, feasting on a college of small fish; a lone chicken perched on a sea of photo voltaic panels. All had been among the many profitable photographs of Bird Photographer of the Year 2025.

The contest, in its tenth yr, celebrates the fantastic thing about birds whereas additionally supporting conservation efforts and elevating consciousness of the threats they face. This yr’s contest attracted greater than 25,000 picture entries, all vying for the £3,000 ($4,000) grand prize.

Canadian photographer Liron Gertsman scooped it up for his hanging picture of a frigatebird silhouetted in opposition to a complete photo voltaic eclipse. He took the picture on the east coast of Sinaloa, Mexico, after greater than a yr of planning. Positioning his boat near some small islands frequented by the seabirds, he patiently waited because the moon handed throughout the solar.

“Totality (when the moon completely covers the sun) was due to last almost 4.5 minutes,” stated Gertsman in a press launch. “As the moon uncovered the sun’s edge at the end of totality, I captured this magnificent frigatebird in front of the spectacular eclipse phase known as the ‘diamond ring’ – a moment that lasts mere seconds.”

Will Nicholls, director of Bird Photographer of the Year, stated in a press release: “Exceptional photography takes technical excellence, artistic vision and dedication.”

“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,” he added.

Conserving the pure world is on the coronary heart of the competitors, which is partnered with Birds on the Brink, a charity that gives funding to international avian conservation initiatives. Nicholls informed CNN that the competitors isn’t nearly celebrating nice footage: “It’s about using them to tell stories that matter.”

“If these images encourage people to see birds differently – and recognize the need to safeguard them for future generations – then we’ve achieved something truly worthwhile.”

The awarded photographs are featured in a coffee table book revealed by Princeton University Press out there on-line.