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55 Best Bird Photos Of 2017 Have Been Announced, And They’re Truly Amazing
Birds are a secretive and mysterious species, which makes them one of the hardest to photograph. The British Trust for Ornithology, however, is taking time to appreciate photographers around the world who have mastered the art of capturing the quiet, gentle beauty of birds, and they've just announced their winners for 2017.
The Bird Photographer of the Year competition was initiated in 2015, and reportedly received a flood of entries right away. According to BTO Chief Executive Andy Clements, its aim is "to celebrate the artistry of bird photography and aid conservation by supporting the valuable work carried out by the BTO.” A cash prize of £5,000 (~$6,500 USD) is awarded to the top entry, with smaller amounts of cash, equipment, and merchandise being doled out to the others. This year's victor? Alejandro Prieto Rojas from Mexico, who submitted a stunning portrait of flamingo feeding their young.
A selection of the winning and short-listed entries are also chosen by the BTO to feature in a special large-format photobook. The 2017 edition is available now, and partial profits from its sales will directly support the BTO's bird conservation efforts. Scroll down to see some of the most incredible bird photos you might ever lay eyes on, and share this post with the bird-lover in your life.
More info: Bird Photographer of the Year Awards Book: BTO
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
The Battle By Jose Garcia, US. Bird Behaviour Category
Kandy Hender 8 years ago
Hahahahaha! Love it!!! Took me a few seconds to get it .... but worth the wait😅
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#2
Barn Owl Hovering By Roy Rimmer, UK. Bird Behaviour Category
logical fallacy 8 years ago
That's how JK Rowling got the idea to use owls. It's creepy, I'll give her that!
Ilya Ditkovskiy 8 years ago
Also owls are perfect for delivering mail because they can see at night and day. Also when was the last time you heard about an owl getting attack by other predators?
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#3
Blue Tit On Berries By Markus Varesvuo, Helsinki, Finland. Winner Of Best Portfolio 2017 Category
Wanda Queen 8 years ago
I am a grown up. I will not make a tit joke......I am a grown up. I will not.....
Lev Pavlovski 8 years ago
When you are fat and they see you opening the fridge after you just ate.
#4
2017 Bird Photographer Of The Year Cover
#5
Full Speed By Faisal Alnomas, Kuwait. Bird Behaviour Category
#6
Goosander And Brood By Jonathan Gaunt, UK. Bird Behaviour Category
Talia Johnson 8 years ago
The last duckling: "you lot never leave me any room. I'm off to find new transportation"
Full Name 8 years ago
You've figured out which'll be the first to leave the nest. "This is BS. I'm outta here the minute I can fly"
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Rabbitt209 8 years ago
I was thinking of "you can go your own wayyyyyyy!"
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#7
Catch Of The Day By Vince Burton, UK. Winner Of The Nature Photographers Ltd People’s Choice Award Category
Melody Lanzatella 8 years ago
You have just perfectly illustrated how people see art differently! Thank you!
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#8
Albatross Eye Close-up By Jessica Winter, Bronze In Attention To Detail Category
#9
Grey Heron, Ahmad Al-essa, Kuwait. Silver Award Winner In The Attention To Detail Category
#10
Bearded Sunset By Markus Varesvuo, Helsinki, Finland. Winner In Best Portfolio Category And Honourable Mention For Best Portrait Category
Pattie Kelly 8 years ago
OK where are the instructions on how to build this darn nets? Let's see did I leave them in the tree I got these branches from?
#11
The Speculum By Georgina Steytler. Australia. Gold Award Winner In The Creative Imagery Category
Marilyn Beisel 8 years ago
Wow! My absolute favourite, just stunning. Thank you for sharing, Georgina.
Sandy Kavanaugh 7 years ago
Wow! I'd expected a Mandarin after reading the title. What a gorgeous shot! And a beautiful bird.
Kandy Hender 8 years ago
Sensational!!! Simply stunning......should be on page one though, not going to get the votes this deserves on page 2.
#12
Twilight By Markus Varesvuo, Kuusamo, Finland. Best Portfolio Winner In The Creative Imagery Category
Ari Niemelä 8 years ago
There was another Varesvuo picture in a first page, that one where great tit bird was hanging upside down below rowan berries.
Sandy Kavanaugh 7 years ago
She has to be a Great Grey. Marvelous! (So glad I'm not a rodent!)
#13
Daily Basket By Ionel Onofras, Romania. Best Portrait Category
Marilyn Slater 8 years ago
'A wonderful bird is the pelican, his beak can hold more that his belly can. Its beak hold enough for a week. What I wonder is how the helican!'
#14
Snuggling Cygnet By Ben Andrew. Honourable Mention In Attention To Detail Category
#15
I Lost My Mom, Common Kingfisher By Fahad Al-enezi, Spain. Bird Behaviour Category
#16
Snowy Owl By Markus Varesvuo, Helsinki, Finland. Winner Of Best Portfolio 2017 Category
#17
Woodpecker In Car Mirror By Kelvin Dao. Honourable Mention In Birds In The Garden Category
#18
Pink Flamingo Feeding Their Young By Alejandro Prieto Rojas, Mexico. Gold Award And Bird Photographer Of The Year 2017 Winner In The Best Portrait Category
Varsha Chrislin 8 years ago
Cant believe that these young ones grow in pretty amazing looking flamingo's!
#19
Great Snipe Silhouette By Torsten Green-Petersen. Honourable Mention In Bird Behaviour Category
Rabbitt209 8 years ago
Anyone else been "snipe hunting?" A favorite for camp counselors with young campers!
Agnes Jekyll 8 years ago
Looks like he's puffing out his chest before singing his aria--and strutting across the stage
#20
Wide-angle Kite, Red Kite By Jamie Hall, United Kingdom. Birds In Flight Category
#21
A Perfect Landing, Australian Pelican By Bret Charman, Australia. Gold Award Winner In Birds In Flight Category
Sanchit Jain 8 years ago
I rotated this pic vertically and results are almost same ! bird-photo...02bca3.jpg 
#22
Blackbird Taking Berries By Roy Rimmer. Honourable Mention In Birds In The Garden Category
#23
Breakfast, Great Egret By Cheryl Schneider, Usa. Attention To Detail Category
#24
Seagulls And Fox By Gabor Kapus. Honourable Mention In Birds In Flight Category
#25
Swimming Eider By Pål Hermansen. Bronze In Best Portrait Category
#26
Guillemot Stretching Wing By Marc Weber. Silver In Best Portrait Category
#27
All In Yellow, Blue-headed Wagtail By Robert Szafranek, Poland. Birds In The Environment Category
#28
Camouflage By Daniel Stenberg, Sweden. Honourable Mention In Birds In The Environment Category
#29
Swallow Chicks In Nest By Joseph Anthony. Honourable Mention In Creative Imagery Category
#30
Pelican Portrait By Anna-mart Kruger, Namibia. Best Portrait Category
#31
Male King Eider By Staffan Widstrand. Honourable Mention In Best Portrait Category
#32
Bravery, Pied Crow And White-backed Vulture By Bence Máté, Hungary. Bird Behaviour Category
#33
Starling In Bird Bath Underexposed By Mohammad Murad. Silver In Birds In The Garden Category
#34
Crane Flock Misty Lake By Piotr Chara. Silver In Birds In The Environment Category
#35
Andean Condor In Flight Over Mountain Peaks By Ben Hall, Uk. Gold Award Winner In The Birds In The Environment Category
#36
Wing Formation By Tom Hines, Uk. Gold Award Winner In The Attention To Detail Category
Full Name 8 years ago
Dunno about this specific photo, but you can achieve this by drastically underexposing your photo while blasting it with light (mostly from behind in this case) so the subject gets 'properly' exposed while everything else goes black. .
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Little Grebe Taking Off By Faisal Alnomas. Honourable Mention In Bird Behaviour Category
#38
Diving Kingfisher By Malek Alhazzaa. Silver In Bird Behaviour Category
#39
Condor Light Rays By John Sherman. Bhonourable Mention In The Environment Category
#40
David Versus Goliath By Bruno De Lorenzo, Hungary. Bird Behaviour Category
#41
Whooper Swans In Snow By Wim Van Den Heever. Bronze In Creative Imagery Category
#42
Stork Feet By Magdaléna Straková. Honourable Mention In Attention To Detail Category
Jan Jurceka 8 years ago
Why does this looks like a horror movies poster? Where the main protagonists are frogs.
Magdaléna Straková 8 years ago
Stoked to see my photo here! And love that horror movie for frogs comment :-) You can check out more of my work here: https://www.facebook.com/MagdalenaStrakovaTravelAndNaturePhotography/
#43
Orhard Nuthatch By Charles Tyler, United Kingdom. Birds In The Garden Category
#44
Barn Owl Hunting By House By Jamie Hall, Suffolk, England. Gold Award Winner In The Birds In The Garden Category
#45
Blurred Bird Flock By Marc Weber. Bronze In Birds In The Environment Category
Amanda Santoyo-Cortés 8 years ago
The tree... its not leaves, they are bird silhouettes ;)
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#46
Swan's Head Underwater By Ian Wade. Bronze In Bird Behaviour Category
#47
Ptarmigan By Markus Varesvuo. Bronze In Birds In Flight Category
#48
Coots Fighting By Andrew Parkinson, Derbyshire, Uk. Gold Award Winner In The Bird Behaviour Category
#49
Willow Grouse By Markus Varesvuo, Helsinki, Finland. Winner Of Best Portfolio 2017 Category
Terri Rowland 8 years ago
Some of these birds are so well camouflaged against the background 🐥💟😇
#50
Willow Grouse In The Garden By Markus Varesvuo. Honourable Mention In Birds In The Garden Category
#51
Gannet Underwater By Markus Varesvuo, Helsinki, Finland. Winner Of Best Portfolio 2017 Category
#52
Leaping Heron By Georgina Steytler. Honourable Mention In Birds In Flight Category
#53
Calling For The Sun By Ondrej Pelanek, Czech Republic. Gold Award Winner In Young Bird Photographer Of The Year Category
#54
Male And Female Mallard By Francesco De Giuseppe. Silver In Creative Imagery Category
#55
Willow Grouse In Storm By Markus Varesvuo, Helsinki, Finland. Winner Of Best Portfolio 2017 Category
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What do you think ?
Marilyn Slater 8 years ago
What a superb collection of photographs; absolutely wonderful. Thanks to both the competition organisers and to Bored Panda for sharing them with us.
Marcia Goldberg 8 years ago
Delightful to think someone could be ready to focus on "The Catch of the Day" or discover the whole world in the eye of an albatross. Delcious first class photography. Thanks to the promoters of such a competition.
Barbara Villegas 8 years ago
Beautiful photography and Artistry. There's a lot of birds here that I never seen before. Thank you for sharing.
Sanchit Jain 8 years ago
I am sure, every pic has a story behind it. I wonder if one day I can know them.
Marilyn Slater 8 years ago
What a superb collection of photographs; absolutely wonderful. Thanks to both the competition organisers and to Bored Panda for sharing them with us.
Marcia Goldberg 8 years ago
Delightful to think someone could be ready to focus on "The Catch of the Day" or discover the whole world in the eye of an albatross. Delcious first class photography. Thanks to the promoters of such a competition.
Barbara Villegas 8 years ago
Beautiful photography and Artistry. There's a lot of birds here that I never seen before. Thank you for sharing.
Sanchit Jain 8 years ago
I am sure, every pic has a story behind it. I wonder if one day I can know them.
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