Canadian photographer Liron Gertsman spent more than a year preparing for one very specific moment. After a week of scouting along Mexico’s Sinaloa coastline, his patience and timing came together in an image that feels almost unreal: a Magnificent frigatebird crossing the darkened sun during a total solar eclipse. That photograph earned him the title of 2025 Bird Photographer of the Year, a prize that speaks not only to the rarity of the sight but also to the persistence behind it.
The contest itself was immense, attracting over 33,000 photographs from every corner of the globe, with three categories dedicated entirely to young entrants. And true to its mission, the competition used its platform to give back—donating £5,000 to Birds on the Brink, a charity that invests in grassroots projects to protect birdlife.
This year’s winners show just how diverse the world of birds really is. In the Birds in the Environment and Best Portrait categories, photographers captured creatures in settings that ranged from the wildest mountain peaks to unexpected city sanctuaries. Steffen Foerster submitted a raw, close-up portrait of a Southern giant petrel, its face still streaked red after feeding. Luca Lorenz turned his lens on an Alpine chough battling through a snowstorm in the Swiss Alps, its sharp eye standing out against a blur of white. In France, Benoit Henrion discovered three Western barn owls nestled inside the quiet walls of a church, while in India, Baiju Patil froze the motion of Barn swallows as they skimmed above a carpet of bright marigolds.
For those who want to dive deeper, the full gallery of winning images is now online, accompanied by a book published by Princeton University Press. And if you’ve been inspired to pick up a camera, the 2026 Bird Photographer of the Year competition is already open for entries.
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