Jack Zhi
A photo of a peregrine falcon attacking a large brown pelican was the overall winner of this year's Bird Photographer of the Year. Taken in California, US, photographer Jack Zhi said he had waited four years to capture the rare moment. Explore the gallery to see more photos from this year's awards.
Nicolas Reusens
Nicolas Reusens' photograph of a glistening-green tanager in the Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, Ecuador, won the award's best portrait category. "After hours of waiting, I saw the vivid green bird on a perfect heart shaped leaf. Its shimmering feathers reflected a dazzling array of colors," said Reusen.
Henley Spiers
The strange and captivating image of a blue-footed booby rising from a shoal of fish with a sardine in its beak was recognized in the bird behavior category. It was taken by photographer Henley Spiers in the waters of Los Islotes in Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Michael Eastwell
As well as highlighting the beauty of birds, the award also wants to promote conservation. This photograph, taken by Michael Eastwell at the Bonorong Wildlife Hospital in Brighton, Tasmania, Australia, shows a vet examining the eye of a southern boobook, the smallest Australian owl species.
Ann Gillis
In this image, captured at a ranch in Texas, US, a northern crested caracara cranes its neck backwards to look straight into Ann Gillis' lens.
THOMAS VIJAYAN
Photographed in Antarctica, two emperor penguin parents look lovingly at their chick. "Before capturing this image, I spent two days observing these penguins, lying flat on the ice to avoid scaring them. Waiting for the chick to appear, I finally got this touching shot of parental love," said photographer Thomas Vijayan.
Qiuqing Mu
Taken by Qiuqing Mu in a wheat field in Zhejiang, China, this image shows a great grey owl feeding its offspring some prey. "I quickly pressed the shutter and captured a heartwarming moment between the parent and the next generation," said Mu.
Antonio Aguti
Winning the comedy bird photo category, this image, captured by Antonio Aguti, shows a purple heron with a very large crucian carp in its beak. After several attempts to turn the fish on its side, the bird "voraciously swallowed" it, said Aguti.
Stefan Gerrits
Stefan Gerrits captured this artistic photograph of a white-throated dipper at the Kitka River in Finland. "The harsh temperatures, reaching as low as minus 27 degrees Celsius (minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit), were a challenge. I focused on longer-exposure shots, using a 70 to 200 millimeter lens to capture silky-smooth water in each photo," he said.
Mateusz Piesiak
A brambling is pictured perching on a sunflower stalk during winter in Lower Silesia, Poland. Photographer Mateusz Piesiak said that flooding meant that a field of sunflowers could not be harvested, and thousands of birds, including greenfinches, goldfinches and bramblings flocked to it for foraging.

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CNN  — 

A breathtaking image of a peregrine falcon attacking an enormous pelican with its bright orange talons won top prize in this year’s Bird Photographer of the Year competition.

The contest, in its eighth edition, celebrates the beauty of birds while also raising awareness of the mounting pressures they face. Photographers from all over the world entered more than 20,000 images into the competition, all vying for the £5,000 ($6,280) grand prize.

US photographer Jack Zhi, who took the winning image in southern California, says he had waited for four years to capture the rare moment when a female falcon pounced on a brown pelican more than double its size.

“During breeding season, a female peregrine falcon fiercely protects her young, attacking anything that comes near the nest,” he explained in a press release. “The high-speed chase made it challenging to capture a close-up shot with a long lens.”

But finally, he succeeded. “The action was fast, and over in the blink of an eye. But I’ll remember that moment forever,” he said.

Other photographers were recognized for artistic and atmospheric shots, such as an image of a blackbird silhouetted against the moon taken by 17-year-old Anton Trexler, which won Young Bird Photographer of the Year. There were also awards for comedy shots, like that of a hungry heron attempting to squeeze a very large fish into its beak, captured by Antonio Aguti.

Anton Trexler
A Eurasian blackbird silhouetted against a red moon, taken by German photographer Anton Trexler at sunrise.

Birds on the brink

The competition organizers hope that the striking images will not only promote the talent of photographers, but also the importance of birds and their protection. Nearly half of the planet’s bird species are in decline and one in eight species is threatened with extinction, according to the latest State of the World’s Birds report published by BirdLife International.

“The astonishing caliber of these photographs underscores a vital message: let us champion the cause of conservation, so that future generations can marvel at the real-life inspirations behind these extraordinary images,” said Will Nicholls, director of Bird Photographer of the Year, in a press release.

Profits from the competition support various conservation projects through the award’s own charity Birds on the Brink. The winning images are also published in a coffee table book each year.

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