A northern gannet dramatically breaks the surface of the ocean, propelling through the water like a torpedo at speeds of up to 86km/h 53mph). Photographer Henley Spiers captured the moment in a stunning image (seen below) and earned the top prize at the 2026 Bird Photographer of the Year awards.
“The handsome northern gannets lead a dualistic existence,” Spiers said in a press release. “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 seems to burst through the sun as it pierces down through the water. The handsome northern gannets lead a dualistic existence. 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. Their long wingspan and streamlined bodies make flying look effortless, gliding along with just the occasional pulse of their wings. When fish are spotted, the gannets fly into the wind and stretch out their wings as brakes, precisely adjusting their position in relation to their quarry. Moments later, with wings tucked in tightly, the gannet shape-shifts into a pointed torpedo, diving into the water at speeds of up to 86 km/ph. Even Olympic divers will not exceed 60km/ph, and these seabirds are specially adapted for the impact: muscles along the neck lock their vertebrae into place and air sacs in the face and chest act as airbags. Even their nostrils are evolved for this aquatic existence, located internally to prevent water ingress during 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 multiple categories, including Best Portrait, Bird Behavior, Birds in Flight, and Conservation. This year’s competition also raised more than £5,000 ($6,600 USD) to Birds on the Brink, a charity that provides funding to grassroots bird conservation projects around 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, said. “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 observed Red-Necked Phalaropes foraging for food. One bird I found a pair of Great Horned Owls nesting in a park next to my house. I headed out at dusk, hoping to capture a strong portrait of the owls. However, my aim shifted when I saw the full moon rising on the horizon. One of the owls flew down to a pine tree, and I quickly moved into position to frame it against the moon.
Credit: © Parham Pourahmad / Bird Photographer of the Year Parham Pourahmad
Parham Pourahmad / Bird Photographer of the Year
Best Portrait
A male greater sage-grouse during its courtship display. As the sun was rising over the shadowed sagebrush hill behind him, it illuminated the bird’s tail feathers such that they appeared to radiate light. I was fortunate to visit a sage-grouse lek, an area in which the birds congregate to mate. Arriving at the lek before sunrise, I crouched behind some rocks, facing east to get a backlit photo of a male. As the sun rose above the hill behind the lek, I was able to capture this male in full display. Greater Sage-Grouse are the largest native grouse in North America. As their name implies, these birds are intimately tied to the sagebrush ecosystems of the Intermountain West. Their populations in recent years have declined precipitously due to a loss of habitat.
Credit: © Thomas Deliberto / Bird Photographer of the Year Thomas DeLiberto
Thomas Deliberto / Bird Photographer of the Year
I spent several days on Skomer to photograph the Atlantic Puffins in the early morning and late evening, when the day tourists had left the island and you had the birds almost to yourself. This evening, I waited at the puffin colony until the sun went down and photographed this bird against the reflections in the ocean.
Credit: © Volker Widmann / Bird Photographer of the Year Volker Widmann
Volker Widmann / Bird Photographer of the Year
A male Western Parotia dances in the dark rainforest of West Papua in a dazzling attempt to attract a female.
Credit: © David Stowe / Bird Photographer of the Year David Stowe
David Stowe / Bird Photographer of the Year
Bird Behaviour
Rain threads through the forest. Camouflaged against bark and shadow, a fledgling tawny frogmouth stretches its wings in what looks like covering its other siblings from the water droplets. Stillness is its field, with patience its inheritance. In the hush between falling drops, resilience becomes a form of quiet strength. His big round eyes and open mouth make it a cute capture.
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 name suggests, is a wet place, and on this particular day, it had been raining nonstop. I was on a Zodiac slowly meandering along an inlet in the forest when I spotted this magnificent juvenile bald eagle with its wings spread open. This behaviour is usually associated with either cooling down or drying feathers, but it seemed an almost impossible task in such relentless rain. Still, the eagle held its posture with determination.
Credit: © Mark Carwardine / Bird Photographer of the Year Mark Carwardine
Mark Carwardine / Bird Photographer of the Year
At the beach in Tulum, I positioned myself parallel to a fisherman whose unwanted catch repeatedly triggered aerial skirmishes overhead. The frigatebirds cruised just metres above him, and whenever a fish was tossed upward, the airspace erupted. I tracked the initial grab and ensuing chase with a fast shutter speed and wide AF area, anticipating erratic direction changes.
Credit: Bernhard Schubert / Bird Photographer of the Year Bernhard Schubert
Bernhard Schubert / Bird Photographer of the Year
Birds in Flight
A short-eared owl courses over the salt marshes of British Columbia’s Fraser River Delta. This was a magical evening, with five owls feeding around me as dusk fell. I witnessed both fights between owls and, later, displays in which they clapped their wings together. I took this photo by positioning myself strategically, hunkering down in the grass after anticipating the owls’ hunting routes. I was lucky that the owl turned its head to look at me as it passed 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 image reveals a mesmerizing swarm of guillemots in flight. What first appears as an Escher-like illusion is nature’s own design—organized chaos in motion. The sky becomes a canvas of repetition and rhythm, where the boundaries between order and disorder dissolve before 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 hide, against the light of the rising sun. In Poland, it is 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 in the Environment
A majestic golden eagle drifts in dark silhouette across the face of the moon, its outstretched wings cutting a powerful shape through silver light. Below, winter-clad peaks rise in quiet stillness, their frozen ridges layered through in-camera multiple exposure to shape the visual expression I envisioned. The composition feels both graphic and atmospheric-a meeting of shadow and glow, strength and silence. Suspended against the luminous moon, the eagle becomes a timeless presence in the cold, breathless vastness of the alpine night.
Credit: © Åsmund Keilen / Bird Photographer of the Year Åsmund Keilen
Åsmund Keilen / Bird Photographer of the Year
I was snorkeling in the magnificent Port Charcot bay in Antarctica when a raft of gentoo penguins suddenly showed up, en route to fish and feed on krill. These iconic birds are incredibly curious so they went straight to me to evaluate if I could be a threat or not. They spent a while swimming so fast around 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 way towards the dry lake bed of Amboseli. In black and white, the stark landscape emphasizes the bird’s solitary journey across the dust and heat.
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 known as 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, but with never more than two spikes. This year was a great one for rain, and the tree responded with 5 spikes. As I drove out our gate each morning, I passed an exact point where they lined up beautifully. The car, with a towel draped across the window, provided a perfect hide. What you can’t see just below the edge of the photo is the house of the next neighbour along. It took some explanation to convince him that I hadn’t set up covert surveillance on his front door.
Credit: Raoul Slater / Bird Photographer of the Year Raoul Slater
Raoul Slater / Bird Photographer of the Year
Urban Birds
Great cities are extremely complex habitats. Attracted by the great amount of food resources the yellow-legged seagulls (Larus michahellis) live within Rome from many years. The tall buildings are for the seagulls as the cliffs on the sea and represent perfect nesting structures. I had a seagull colony on the roof of my house, and I had time to study their behaviour and preferred perches in order to get this picture. Moreover, some people of my neighborhood used to feed birds on the roof since COVI-19 lockdown. I had time then to put a removable sticker on the wall, to wait for the arrival of one of the gulls.
Credit: Gianluca Damiani / Bird Photographer of the Year
Gianluca Damiani / Bird Photographer of the Year
Conservation (Single Image)
This image was taken at a local pond that I frequent. It has limited access, so I hike in from a cornfield on the back side. I was wearing chest waders and worked my way out to a mud flat. I used a ground pod with a gimbal and had a camouflage net covering me. I was attempting to get shots of wood ducks, sandpipers and killdeer when this great blue heron (with a bobber and fishing line around his beak) flew in and landed right next to me. He was so close I could only get a head shot.
Credit: © Kent Stuart / Bird Photographer of the Year Kent Stuart
Kent Stuart / Bird Photographer of the Year
Youth categories
On a small island in Norway, I observed Red-Necked Phalaropes foraging for food. One bird was swimming on a pond, pecking insects from the surface. Suddenly, it raised its head, stretched upwards, spread its wings, and fluttered into the air. Luckily, I had selected a high frame rate and was able to capture this fascinating moment, as well as the small moth the bird had caught.
Credit: © Paula Czaeczine / Bird Photographer of the Year
Paula Czaeczine / Bird Photographer of the Year
The Great Cormorants in the area where I live are elusive and do not easily allow themselves to be photographed. However, in London, they were far more trusting and allowed people to approach within a few metres. I was able to observe them calmly and see that they are beautiful black birds with a metallic sheen. What really caught my attention, though, were their emerald-green eyes, so I decided to take a close portrait of the bird’s head.
Credit: © Alberto Román Gómez / Bird Photographer of the Year ALBERTO ROMAN
Alberto Román Gómez / Bird Photographer of the Year
View the full gallery at Bird Photographer of the Year.
2026 Popular Science Home of the Future Awards
