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A northern gannet dramatically breaks the floor of the ocean, propelling by way of the water like a torpedo at speeds of as much as 86km/h 53mph). Photographer Henley Spiers captured the second in a shocking picture (seen beneath) and earned the highest prize on the 2026 Bird Photographer of the Year awards.
“The handsome northern gannets lead a dualistic existence,” Spiers stated in a press launch. “In the nest, their newborn is carefully nurtured, and a couple’s bond is reinforced by pointing sharp beaks to the sky as they tenderly stroke their white necks together. In flight, hunting mode takes over, and piercing yellow eyes, fringed with blue circles, scour the sea for prey”.
Overall winners
A northern gannet appears to burst by way of the solar because it pierces down by way of the water. The good-looking northern gannets lead a dualistic existence. In the nest, their new child is rigorously nurtured, and a pair’s bond is bolstered by pointing sharp beaks to the sky as they tenderly stroke their white necks collectively. In flight, looking mode takes over, and piercing yellow eyes, fringed with blue circles, scour the ocean for prey. Their lengthy wingspan and streamlined our bodies make flying look easy, gliding together with simply the occasional pulse of their wings. When fish are noticed, the gannets fly into the wind and stretch out their wings as brakes, exactly adjusting their place in relation to their quarry. Moments later, with wings tucked in tightly, the gannet shape-shifts right into a pointed torpedo, diving into the water at speeds of as much as 86 km/ph. Even Olympic divers won’t exceed 60km/ph, and these seabirds are specifically tailored for the impression: muscular tissues alongside the neck lock their vertebrae into place and air sacs within the face and chest act as airbags. Even their nostrils are advanced for this aquatic existence, situated internally to forestall water ingress throughout fishing dives.
Credit: © Henley Spiers / Bird Photographer of the Year
Henley Spiers / Bird Photographer of the Year
The 2026 Bird Photographer of the Year awarded prizes a number of classes, together with Best Portrait, Bird Behavior, Birds in Flight, and Conservation. This yr’s competitors additionally raised greater than £5,000 ($6,600 USD) to Birds on the Brink, a charity that gives funding to grassroots fowl conservation initiatives across the globe.
“In a world where AI-generated imagery is becoming increasingly common, this year’s winners are a powerful reminder of the value of authenticity,” Will Nicholls, Director of Bird Photographer of the Year, stated. “Every image in the competition represents a real moment in the wild, earned through patience, dedication and a genuine connection with nature. People will always value real stories told by real people, and this year’s extraordinary photographs celebrate the beauty, wonder and authenticity of our natural world.”
On a small island in Norway, I noticed Red-Necked Phalaropes foraging for meals. One fowl I discovered a pair of Great Horned Owls nesting in a park subsequent to my home. I headed out at nightfall, hoping to seize a robust portrait of the owls. However, my intention shifted once I noticed the total moon rising on the horizon. One of the owls flew all the way down to a pine tree, and I shortly moved into place to border it in opposition to the moon.
Credit: © Parham Pourahmad / Bird Photographer of the Year Parham Pourahmad
Parham Pourahmad / Bird Photographer of the Year
Best Portrait
A male better sage-grouse throughout its courtship show. As the solar was rising over the shadowed sagebrush hill behind him, it illuminated the fowl’s tail feathers such that they appeared to radiate gentle. I used to be lucky to go to a sage-grouse lek, an space through which the birds congregate to mate. Arriving on the lek earlier than dawn, I crouched behind some rocks, going through east to get a backlit picture of a male. As the solar rose above the hill behind the lek, I used to be in a position to seize this male in full show. Greater Sage-Grouse are the most important native grouse in North America. As their title implies, these birds are intimately tied to the sagebrush ecosystems of the Intermountain West. Their populations lately have declined precipitously on account of a lack of habitat.
Credit: © Thomas Deliberto / Bird Photographer of the Year Thomas DeLiberto
Thomas Deliberto / Bird Photographer of the Year
I spent a number of days on Skomer to {photograph} the Atlantic Puffins within the early morning and late night, when the day vacationers had left the island and also you had the birds virtually to your self. This night, I waited on the puffin colony till the solar went down and photographed this fowl in opposition to the reflections within the ocean.
Credit: © Volker Widmann / Bird Photographer of the Year Volker Widmann
Volker Widmann / Bird Photographer of the Year
A male Western Parotia dances at nighttime rainforest of West Papua in a blinding try to draw a feminine.
Credit: © David Stowe / Bird Photographer of the Year David Stowe
David Stowe / Bird Photographer of the Year
Bird Behaviour
Rain threads by way of the forest. Camouflaged in opposition to bark and shadow, a fledgling tawny frogmouth stretches its wings in what appears like protecting its different siblings from the water droplets. Stillness is its area, with persistence its inheritance. In the hush between falling drops, resilience turns into a type of quiet power. His huge spherical eyes and open mouth make it a cute seize.
Credit: © Donald Chin / Bird Photographer of the Year Donald Chin
Donald Chin / Bird Photographer of the Year
The Great Bear Rainforest on the west coast of Canada, as its title suggests, is a moist place, and on this specific day, it had been raining nonstop. I used to be on a Zodiac slowly meandering alongside an inlet within the forest once I noticed this magnificent juvenile bald eagle with its wings unfold open. This behaviour is often related to both cooling down or drying feathers, nevertheless it appeared an virtually not possible job in such relentless rain. Still, the eagle held its posture with dedication.
Credit: © Mark Carwardine / Bird Photographer of the Year Mark Carwardine
Mark Carwardine / Bird Photographer of the Year
At the seashore in Tulum, I positioned myself parallel to a fisherman whose undesirable catch repeatedly triggered aerial skirmishes overhead. The frigatebirds cruised simply metres above him, and every time a fish was tossed upward, the airspace erupted. I tracked the preliminary seize and ensuing chase with a quick shutter velocity and huge AF space, anticipating erratic route adjustments.
Credit: Bernhard Schubert / Bird Photographer of the Year Bernhard Schubert
Bernhard Schubert / Bird Photographer of the Year
Birds in Flight
A brief-eared owl programs over the salt marshes of British Columbia’s Fraser River Delta. This was a magical night, with 5 owls feeding round me as nightfall fell. I witnessed each fights between owls and, later, shows through which they clapped their wings collectively. I took this picture by positioning myself strategically, hunkering down within the grass after anticipating the owls’ looking routes. I used to be fortunate that the owl turned its head to have a look at me because it handed silently by.
Credit: © Ivan Sjögren / Bird Photographer of the Year Ivan Sjögren
Ivan Sjögren / Bird Photographer of the Year
Captured in March 2025 on Hornøya, this picture reveals a mesmerizing swarm of guillemots in flight. What first seems as an Escher-like phantasm is nature’s personal design—organized chaos in movement. The sky turns into a canvas of repetition and rhythm, the place the boundaries between order and dysfunction dissolve earlier than your eyes.
Credit: Alex Pansier / Bird Photographer of the Year Alex Pansier
Alex Pansier / Bird Photographer of the Year
A bittern flying from reedbed to reedbed, captured from a floating conceal, in opposition to the sunshine of the rising solar. In Poland, it is without doubt one of the most secretive birds. © Patryk Kurc Credit: Patryk Kurc / Bird Photographer of the Year Patryk Kurc
Patryk Kurc / Bird Photographer of the Year
Birds within the Environment
An impressive golden eagle drifts in darkish silhouette throughout the face of the moon, its outstretched wings slicing a robust form by way of silver gentle. Below, winter-clad peaks rise in quiet stillness, their frozen ridges layered by way of in-camera a number of publicity to form the visible expression I envisioned. The composition feels each graphic and atmospheric-a assembly of shadow and glow, power and silence. Suspended in opposition to the luminous moon, the eagle turns into a timeless presence within the chilly, breathless vastness of the alpine evening.
Credit: © Åsmund Keilen / Bird Photographer of the Year Åsmund Keilen
Åsmund Keilen / Bird Photographer of the Year
I used to be snorkeling within the magnificent Port Charcot bay in Antarctica when a raft of gentoo penguins instantly confirmed up, en path to fish and feed on krill. These iconic birds are extremely curious so that they went straight to me to guage if I may very well be a menace or not. They spent some time swimming so quick round me.
Credit: Romain Barats / Bird Photographer of the Year Romain Barats
Romain Barats / Bird Photographer of the Year
Black and White
An ostrich makes its approach in the direction of the dry lake mattress of Amboseli. In black and white, the stark panorama emphasizes the fowl’s solitary journey throughout the mud and warmth.
Credit: Rahul Sachdev / Bird Photographer of the Year Rahul Sachdev
Rahul Sachdev / Bird Photographer of the Year
At our neighbour’s gate is a grass tree, also called a Xanthorrhoea. These slow-growing succulents are native to Australia, and there are 30 species. They produce spectacular flower spikes that drip with nectar, attracting birds like this little wattlebird, butterflies and native bees. I’ve photographed this tree for a decade, however with by no means greater than two spikes. This yr was an important one for rain, and the tree responded with 5 spikes. As I drove out our gate every morning, I handed a precise level the place they lined up fantastically. The automotive, with a towel draped throughout the window, offered an ideal conceal. What you possibly can’t see just under the sting of the picture is the home of the following neighbour alongside. It took some rationalization to persuade him that I hadn’t arrange covert surveillance on his entrance door.
Credit: Raoul Slater / Bird Photographer of the Year Raoul Slater
Raoul Slater / Bird Photographer of the Year
Urban Birds
Great cities are extraordinarily advanced habitats. Attracted by the good quantity of meals sources the yellow-legged seagulls (Larus michahellis) reside inside Rome from a few years. The tall buildings are for the seagulls because the cliffs on the ocean and symbolize good nesting buildings. I had a seagull colony on the roof of my home, and I had time to review their behaviour and most popular perches in an effort to get this image. Moreover, some folks of my neighborhood used to feed birds on the roof since COVI-19 lockdown. I had time then to place a detachable sticker on the wall, to attend for the arrival of one of many gulls.
Credit: Gianluca Damiani / Bird Photographer of the Year
Gianluca Damiani / Bird Photographer of the Year
Conservation (Single Image)
This picture was taken at an area pond that I frequent. It has restricted entry, so I hike in from a cornfield on the again facet. I used to be sporting chest waders and labored my approach out to a mud flat. I used a floor pod with a gimbal and had a camouflage internet protecting me. I used to be trying to get photographs of wooden geese, sandpipers and killdeer when this nice blue heron (with a bobber and fishing line round his beak) flew in and landed proper subsequent to me. He was so shut I might solely get a head shot.
Credit: © Kent Stuart / Bird Photographer of the Year Kent Stuart
Kent Stuart / Bird Photographer of the Year
Youth classes
On a small island in Norway, I noticed Red-Necked Phalaropes foraging for meals. One fowl was swimming on a pond, pecking bugs from the floor. Suddenly, it raised its head, stretched upwards, unfold its wings, and fluttered into the air. Luckily, I had chosen a excessive body price and was in a position to seize this fascinating second, in addition to the small moth the fowl had caught.
Credit: © Paula Czaeczine / Bird Photographer of the Year
Paula Czaeczine / Bird Photographer of the Year
The Great Cormorants within the space the place I reside are elusive and don’t simply permit themselves to be photographed. However, in London, they have been much more trusting and allowed folks to method inside just a few metres. I used to be in a position to observe them calmly and see that they’re lovely black birds with a metallic sheen. What actually caught my consideration, although, have been their emerald-green eyes, so I made a decision to take a detailed portrait of the fowl’s head.
Credit: © Alberto Román Gómez / Bird Photographer of the Year ALBERTO ROMAN
Alberto Román Gómez / Bird Photographer of the Year
View the total gallery at Bird Photographer of the Year.
2026 Popular Science Home of the Future Awards
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