It’s no secret that birds can be quite challenging to photograph. They move quickly, rarely stay still for long, and capturing a truly special moment often comes down to being in the right place at exactly the right time.
That’s what makes the bird shots featured in the 2026 Nature Photo Awards so impressive. The competition celebrates nature photography from around the world, with a dedicated Birds category showcasing images that capture the beauty, movement, and character of avian life. This year’s selection includes everything from birds caught in dramatic mid-air moments to intimate encounters and beautifully timed shots.
The Birds category was led by Xiaoping Lin’s Pass By, which took first place, followed by Xuejun Long’s Morning Dance and Jesse Cason’s Jays Fighting with an audience. The category also includes numerous honorable mentions and other selected works that caught the judges’ attention.
Below, we’ve collected some of the best bird photographs from the competition. Scroll down to see them and let us know which one is your favorite.
More info: academyphotoawards.com | Instagram
#1 The Wonder By Paola Dova Fenini
A Bearded Vulture that seems to lick its fingers.
#2 Takeaway Ribs By Ken Ang
#3 Nyx By Reagle Photography
Photo of a barn owl named Nyx, posing in front of an aspen tree during the fall, showing the natural camouflage of the bird against the fall colors of the tree leaves.
#4 Chicken On Paint By Jason Wilson
This is a picture of a chicken that had wandered inside of a tool shed. It was sitting on top of several paint buckets when I came across it.
#5 Mother’s Love By Dikye Ariani
A mother bird is feeding five baby birds on a tree branch in the morning.
#6 Pass By By Xiaoping Lin
The big fish chased the small fish and rushed out of the water together, passing the egret. The egret looked surprised and did not know where the small fish would go under the laws of nature? Just like a poem: I passed you by. You hurried here. Before I noticed, you had gone far away, leaving me a regretful back.
#7 American Kestrel By Alexandra Buxbaum
An American Kestrel in flight near a Saguaro cactus while it is on the hunt for prey.
#8 Prayer For Peace By Hiroto Fukuda
Peace does not belong only to humans; it belongs to all living things on Earth. The conservation of the Japanese crane is a successful nature conservation project in Japan. The Japanese crane, which was thought to be extinct, was rediscovered in the Kushiro Marsh in Hokkaido in 1924. Since then, human conservation efforts have led to a population recovery of approximately 1,900 birds over about 100 years, by 2026. This work embodies a prayer for peace and the desire to protect this beautiful planet, through the beautiful image of the Japanese crane soaring across the snowfield.
#9 Kedasih Bird By Dikye Ariani
The cuckoo (also known as the magpie-robin, or cuckoo) is a group of parasitic birds known for their unique habit of depositing their eggs in the nests of other birds. Despite their reputation, these birds possess several specific characteristics, including their parasitic nature. They don’t build their own nests. Instead, they remove other birds’ eggs and leave their own to be incubated and raised by the nesting bird.
#10 Birds In Love By Konstantina Agapitou
The photo was taken in Iceland in April, when the puffins arrive from the ocean to mate. We see two birds in love and one behind them who plays the gooseberry.
#11 Birds Or Boxers? By Reaz Ahmed Sumon
On the quiet green outfield of Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, where roaring crowds usually gather to witness fierce human rivalries, another unexpected battle unfolds—raw, instinctive, and untamed. Two pairs of Common myna lock into a mid-air clash, wings flared like gloves, claws gripping, beaks open in defiance. Beneath them, two more combatants grapple on the turf, echoing the same intensity, as if mirroring the drama of a high-stakes match.
#12 Empire Of Decay By Suman Chakraborty
This image captures a Greater Adjutant stork adapting to survival within a human-altered environment, reflecting resilience amidst ecological imbalances.
#13 Parenting By Santanu Bose
The Black-hooded Oriole’s parenting strategy focuses on ensuring the survival of their young.
I captured this moment likely highlights one of these remarkable parenting strategies in action which is a truly awe-inspiring unforgettable moment for me.
#14 Chow Line By Craig Deman
A family of burrowing owls line up for breakfast that dad has just delivered (note the insect in his mouth) at the Salton Sea in Southern California, USA.
#15 Morning Dance By Xuejun Long
The morning glow reflected the red sky, and the two crowned cranes flew to the pool to show their affection, and they couldn’t wait to dance, envying the hanging storks on the side.
#16 Purple Sunbird By Aye Chan Tun
Purple Sunbird (female) feeding it’s chick in flight.
#17 Pettirosso By Claudio Bonaccorsi
#18 Fish Dance By Haikun Liang
#19 The Gift By Graeme Guy
There are 5 species of Bee-eaters endemic to Malaysia. One of these is the Blue-tailed Bee-eater. As with other bee-eater species the male will bring gifts to the female when she is laying eggs. This behaviour is featured in this image.
#20 Red-Bearded Bee-Eater By Graeme Guy
There are 5 species of Bee-eaters endemic to Malaysia. One of the most elusive is the forest-dwelling Red-bearded Bee-eater. In this image a Red-beared Bee-eater has caught a cicada and is going to a branch to subdue it before ingesting it.
#21 Jays Fighting With An Audience By Jesse Cason
Taken in the snow of Norway. I was there hoping to photograph Golden Eagles, however this proved difficult.
In the meantime there were some Jays frolicking in the snow and fighting over food.
I was lucky enough to capture these two with a third bird seemingly watching the show.
#22 A Hawk’s Winter Flight By Sawyer Jones
A hawk flying through a light snowfall, talons outstretched.
#23 The Individual By Håkan Liljenberg
A flamingo is an individual and is going its own way.
#24 Brief Encounter By John Grusd
A Malachite Kingfisher encounters a dragonfly. The dragonfly actually fluttered in, landed briefly on the bird’s head, and zoomed off again. Nobody was harmed or eaten in the exchange. The kingfisher was probably as surprised as I was.
#25 Off And Away By Gregory Tansell
#26 Making The Moment By Shadab Ishtiyak
From March to April, the breeding season for little terns begins, marking a critical phase in their life cycle. During this period, these graceful birds engage in courtship, mate, and lay their eggs on sandy riverbanks. Once the eggs hatch, the real challenge starts as the parents take turns caring for their fragile young. In this photograph, a poignant moment is captured: a mother little tern tending to her chick. The mother carefully brings food small fish caught from the nearby river to nourish her offspring. This dedicated feeding process continues tirelessly day after day. Both parent birds remain vigilant and nurturing until their chicks grow strong enough to spread their wings. Eventually, the young terns learn to fish on their own, continuing the natural rhythm of life. This image beautifully symbolizes the quiet yet powerful cycle of care, growth, and survival that defines the little tern’s journey in the wild.
#27 Reflection By Sanjoy Kumar
Every afternoon Indian paradise flycatcher come to water for bathing. Oneday I was ready with my camera setup on the bank of a small river and suddenly i saw an Indian paradise flycatcher dived into water for bathing and created a beautiful reflection on water. I was able to capture the moments.
#28 Feathers By Zoltan Toth
I have been observing and photographing a hummingbird family for weeks. One day I managed to take a really close-up photo of a male’s feather, but that tiny moment was gone as quickly as it arrived. There was sparkling sunshine that day, which beautifully brought out the diverse colors of the feathers.
#29 Duello Aereo By Luigi De Rosa
#30 Celestial Calligraphy: Northern Gannets By Marcel Van Beek
On Île Rouzic in Brittany, a colony of northern gannets gathers along the exposed rock while individual birds rise into the sky like fleeting strokes of calligraphy. Their movement appears at once fragile and assured, forming a living script above the dense white mass of the nesting colony. The image speaks not only of beauty, but of persistence and ecological resilience: a precarious order sustained through collective life, rhythm, and return. Above the scene, a cross-shaped formation of cloud enters the frame like a celestial sign, adding an unexpected symbolic charge and binding earth, sea, and air into a single suspended field of tension.
#31 Between Worlds By Krzysztof Tollas
The swan emerges from the water, shrouded in mist and silence. Seen from behind, it becomes almost otherworldly, a fleeting presence suspended between the elements, where light and shadow merge into one quiet moment.
#32 Sustenance By Heather Smith
I was simply watching and waiting when these two wrens landed and this exchange happened right in front of me. Whether it’s a parent passing food to a juvenile or something else entirely, I couldn’t tell you. Both birds are either female or young, their colours yet to declare themselves. What I do know is that sustenance is rarely just about food. It’s about whatever passes between two living things in a moment of quiet dependency.
#33 The Last Light By Pavan Prasad
A Little Cormorant perched on a branch and staring at The Darter bird while flying against the sunset, in the golden hour. Shot was taken at Mysuru, Karnataka, India.
#34 Singing Bird By Santosh Gorla
The nature has some special sounds that rejuvinate the inner sanctum of broken hearts. When it happens, It results in an image like this.
#35 Kingfisher With A Frog By Graeme Guy
White-breasted kingfishers found in the sub-Indian area and South-east Asia. They occupy a variety of habitats. I followed a pair for several seasons and recorded their hunting abilities. The male in the image has caught a field frog and is flying to a perch to subdue it and prepare it for ingestion.
#36 Kingfisher By Antwan Janssen
Diving kingfisher catches a fish.
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