These Are the 2022 Bird Photographer of the Year Award Winners

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An Anna’s hummingbird is curious about these water droplets.

Every Fall, the Bird Photographer of the Year competition celebrates the diversity and beauty of the creatures that constitute class Aves. The contest is open to hobbyists around the globe, and in 2022 entrants submitted over 20,000 images of feathered friends of all kinds: Some swim, some soar, some burrow, and they are all actually dinosaurs.

The competition, sponsored by optics and camera companies, supports the avian conservation charity Birds on the Brink. Check out the award-winning shots.

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“Rock Ptarmigan Flight”

A white rock ptarmigan flies in Norway. — A rock ptarmigan takes wing in Norway.

A white rock ptarmigan launches itself off a rock high above the fjords of Norway in this stunning shot that took the overall prize.

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“Facing the Storm”

A dunlin braces itself against the wind and cold. — Go little dunlin, go!

A small dunlin faces off against the wind as it trudges across Heligoland, an island in the North Sea.

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“Hop, Skip and Jump”

A green and pink plum-headed parakeet flies. — A plum-headed parakeet flies from a lofty perch in Karnataka, India.

In the Western Ghats of India, a pluckish parakeet flits from one branch to another.

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“Sunset”

A petite plover sits in the reflection of the setting sun on a Thai beach.

A Kentish plover in its flock stands alone on a beach in Thailand. The bird is perfectly framed by the reflection of the setting sun.

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“Beads of Diamonds”

The water-droplet-speckled head of a Great Northern Diver. — The head of a Great Northern Diver, bedecked in beads of water.

The eye of a common loon (also known by its way cooler name, the Great Northern Diver) covered in water droplets from a recent dive.

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“The Doting Couple”

A couple of turacos touch faces on a branch. — Two turacos share an intimate moment on a branch.

This happy couple is made up of two purple-crested turacos in South Africa. The intimate moment was caught by a birder while he was searcher for another interesting species, the African emerald cuckoo.

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“Waxwing Silhouette”

The silhouette of a small waxwing on a branch. — The silhouette of a Bohemian waxwing chomping on some berries.

The colors of these bohemian waxwing are totally drowned out by the light behind the animal, leaving just its silhouette. The bird is chowing down on some berries.

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“Schalow’s Turaco”

A turaco with a green head and bright red wings in flight. — A Schalow’s turaco flying.

A gorgeous turaco in flight. The photographer caught the fast-flying bird on a green background—an impressive feat.

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“Free as a Bird”

A bird flies in front of a large wave. — If you squint, you can see the bird.

A European shag flies over a large wave (about 26 feet high) off the coast of northern Spain.

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“Winter Swans”

An aerial image showing two mute swans on an icy lake.

If you squint, you can see the two swans on an icy lake. This image abstracts the swans’ environment, as the viewer is tempted to focus on the geometry of the icy lake rather than the birds.

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“Sandhill Crane Flight Team Air Show”

Four sandhill cranes give the illusion of exhaust trails, from an airshow. — An intriguingly crafted image combined from photos of sandhill cranes and an airshow.

Though this image looks impossibly timed, it’s actually a composite image taken of sandhill cranes and an airshow by the US Navy Blue Angels. Still, it makes for an amusing look at the animal kingdom.

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“The Owlet and the Dump”

An owlet looks up next to discarded bottles in a forest. — An owlet casts a forlorn figure next to human refuse in a forest.

This image of a young owl reminds us of how human waste becomes part of an animal’s landscape.

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“Hoot Are You?”

A barred owl chick looks out from behind a tree in Maine. — A young barred owl in Maine.

A barred owl peers out from behind a tree trunk in Acadia National Park, Maine.

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“Droplets”

An Anna’s hummingbird investigates water droplets coming off a fountain in Fremont, California.

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“Sleeping Beauty”

A light brown king penguin chick sleeping. — A sleeping king penguin chick in the Falkland Islands.

A king penguin chick in its ‘teddy bear’ plumage, a star difference from the black and white of the adults. This particular chick is sleeping in the Falkland Islands.

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“Strut Performer”

A male sage grouse spreading its feathers. — A male sage grouse can barely see over his own ridiculous plumage.

A male sage grouse displaying its remarkable plumage. The grouse isn’t displaying for us, though, but for any female mate that will deign to take him.

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“Duelling On the Elk”

Two sage grouses face off, wings spread, in a fight on snowy ground. — Two male sage grouses face off in the snow.

In this photo, we see sage grouses grousing. Specifically, two males face off in a fight over females. With their remarkable plumage, the birds truly look like warriors.

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“Silo Mural”

Two strawberry pink galahs fly in front of a mural depicting green vines. — Two strawberry pink galahs fly in front of a mural.

Two galahs fly in front of a slightly washed-out mural in Queensland, Australia. The birds are pale pink, and complement their blue-green background.

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“Between Two Worlds”

A double-crested cormorant diving towards a school of fish, in black and white. — A double-crested cormorant diving towards a school of fish.

A double-crested cormorant dives down towards a school of fish off the coast of Mexico. The bird—its wings tucked in—resembles a missile as it bombs down towards its target.

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“Van Gogh’s Storks”

White storks on a blue and white background. — In this image, white storks—a symbol of strength in Ukraine—fly on an apparently digitally-created background.

In this gold award winner for creative imagery, the photographer captures white storks on a background evidently inspired by Van Gogh’s Starry Night. “Ukrainians don’t traditionally give birds and animals human names,” the photographer stated in a release. “However, an exception is made with White Storks, which are addressed as if they were people.”

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“Urban Birds”

A line of flamingos flying over the Abu Dhabi skyline.

A string of flamingos fly over the skyline of Abu Dhabi. The buildings on the skyline poke out above low cloud cover.

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“Shadows”

A Eurasian blackbird on a mossy branch, all silhouetted. — A Eurasian blackbird on a mossy branch.

This enigmatic shot of a Eurasian blackbird shows the animal on a mossy branch in Spain. The bird is silhouetted, giving it a certain mystique as it ponders its next move.

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“Pied Avocet Chick”

A backlit shorebird chick pulls its beak out of the water. — A pied avocet check wades through shallow water.

A young pied avocet pulls its beak out of the water in a Hungarian national park. Abstracted from the scale of larger things—like the water buffalo nearby—the bipedal animal perhaps looks the most dinosaur-like of any of the birds in this contest.

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“Crazy”

The indigo eye and reddish feathers of a Western Capercaillie, in an otherwise black photograph. — The eye of a Western Capercaillie is just visible.

The eye of a Western Capercaillie seems to be accentuated by the blackness of the rest of the image. The animal’s tail feathers take up the majority of the image, with the eye just a sliver in the corner of the photo—yet the place to which the observer’s eye is drawn.

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“Puffin Love”

Two puffin silhouettes in front of the orange of the morning Sun. — Two Atlantic puffins in Canada.

This photo of silhouetted puffins shows the birds in a humanizing light. They came together with the morning sun behind them, casting an intimate light on the moment.

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“Guillemot Swimmers”

Common murres diving in a Scottish marine preserve.

Guillemots, or murres, are caught diving in a marine reserve off of Scotland in this image. The birds appear to be flying with their wings spread—its only the bubbles and the greenish tint of the water that give them away. Oh, and the jellyfish.

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“Starling at Night”

A speckled common starling in flight. — A starling swoops towards a feeder at night.

A starling approaches some sunflower seeds (out of frame). The animal’s head has a blur as it swoops in at speed.

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“Kaleidoscope”

Flocks of flamingos flying over a Kenyan lake.

Flocks of flamingos appear to be vapor-like dots on this image, taken from an aircraft. Behind the flamingos, Kenya’s Lake Logipi is awash in yellows and reds from algae in the lakebed.

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“The Guardian of Mordor”

Large volcanic rocks frame a cormorant in this black-and-white image. — A cormorant dries its wings on a volcanic beach in Iceland.

A black-and-white image of a volcanic beach in Iceland. A cormorant—its wings spread—is beautifully framed by the large rocks.

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“Fishy Business”

An image of pelicans, flamingos, an old boat and fish stitched together by the photographer.

A pelican prods at a dead fish with flamingos flying in the background. This image is also edited; the pelicans and flamingos were in Greece, and the boat was on the Norfolk coastline. The fish and lantern were photographed in the photographer’s garden, and they all came together to make this dreamlike image.

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“Gonzo”

An owl takes shelter under the roof of a house. — An owl looks annoyed as it sits under a house’s roof.

This little owl (Athene noctua) doesn’t appear too stoked about the heavy rain that recently fell in its habitat of Transylvania.

Snoozing Penguins and Urban Flamingos Win Bird Photographer of the Year Awards

From turacos to ptarmigans, these photos show birds in all their avian glory.

“Rock Ptarmigan Flight”

“Rock Ptarmigan Flight”

“Facing the Storm”

“Facing the Storm”

“Hop, Skip and Jump”

“Hop, Skip and Jump”

“Sunset”

“Sunset”

“Beads of Diamonds”

“Beads of Diamonds”

“The Doting Couple”

“The Doting Couple”

“Waxwing Silhouette”

“Waxwing Silhouette”

“Schalow’s Turaco”

“Schalow’s Turaco”

“Free as a Bird”

“Free as a Bird”

“Winter Swans”

“Winter Swans”

“Sandhill Crane Flight Team Air Show”

“Sandhill Crane Flight Team Air Show”

“The Owlet and the Dump”

“The Owlet and the Dump”

“Hoot Are You?”

“Hoot Are You?”

“Droplets”

“Droplets”

“Sleeping Beauty”

“Sleeping Beauty”

“Strut Performer”

“Strut Performer”

“Duelling On the Elk”

“Duelling On the Elk”

“Silo Mural”

“Silo Mural”

“Between Two Worlds”

“Between Two Worlds”

“Van Gogh’s Storks”

“Van Gogh’s Storks”

“Urban Birds”

“Urban Birds”

“Shadows”

“Shadows”

“Pied Avocet Chick”

“Pied Avocet Chick”

“Crazy”

“Crazy”

“Puffin Love”

“Puffin Love”

“Guillemot Swimmers”

“Guillemot Swimmers”

“Starling at Night”

“Starling at Night”

“Kaleidoscope”

“Kaleidoscope”

“The Guardian of Mordor”

“The Guardian of Mordor”

“Fishy Business”

“Fishy Business”

“Gonzo”

“Gonzo”