2021 bird photographer of the year – winners

Bird photographer of the year 2021 has been unveiled, with a photo of a roadrunner stopped in its tracks by the US-Mexico border wall taking the grand prize in this prestigious international competition

Main image: A female crimson sunbird bathes in a banana flower petal in West Bengal. Photograph: Mousam Ray/2021 Bird Photographer of the Year

  • Best portrait, gold winner: Underwater Portrait, Felipe Foncueva, Spain

    This image of a brown pelican was taken off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, near the mouth of the Tárcoles River
    Best portrait, gold winner: Underwater Portrait, Felipe Foncueva, Spain This image of a brown pelican was taken off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, near the mouth of the Tárcoles River

  • Best portrait, silver winner: Sing Heartily, Maofeng Shen, China

    June marks the start of the breeding season for demoiselle cranes on the vast grasslands of Keshiketeng in Inner Mongolia
    June marks the start of the breeding season for demoiselle cranes on the vast grasslands of Keshiketeng in Inner Mongolia

  • Birds in the environment, gold winner and bird photographer of the year: Blocked, Alejandro Prieto, Mexico

    The 2,000-mile US–Mexico border crosses some of the continent’s most biologically diverse regions
    The 3,000km-long US–Mexico border traverses some of the continent’s most biologically diverse regions

  • Birds in the environment, silver winner: Claiming the Forest Floor, Joshua Galicki, US

    A male ovenbird singing on top of a fallen log. The bird is staking its claim to a breeding territory shortly after arriving from a lengthy migration to the north-east US from wintering grounds in Central America
    A male ovenbird singing on top of a fallen log. The bird is staking its claim to a breeding territory shortly after arriving from a lengthy migration to the northeast US from wintering grounds in Central America.

  • Attention to detail, gold winner: Disappearing, Rafael Armada, Spain.

    A penguin reflected in the water
    A penguin reflected in the water.

  • Attention to detail, silver winner: Growing Up, Raymond Hennessy, US

    Great northern divers (known as common loons in North America) and their chicks take to the water soon after the chicks hatch. The size difference between adult and youngster is evident in this image and shows just how much growing is left for this tiny chick
    Great northern divers (known as common loons in North America) and their chicks take to the water soon after the chicks hatch. The size difference between adult and youngster is evident in this image and shows just how much growing is left for this tiny chick.

  • Birds in flight, gold winner: Thirsty, Tzahi Finkelstein, Israel

    Common swifts live their lives on the wing and are a challenge to capture in flight. With a diet of flying insects, they need to drink from time to time, and they even do that on the wing
    Common swifts live their lives on the wing and are a challenge to capture in flight. With a diet of flying insects, they need to drink from time to time, and they even do that on the wing

  • Birds in flight, silver winner: The Art of Motion, Nicolas Reusens, Spain

    A hummingbird feeds from a flower
    A hummingbird feeds from a flower

  • Bird behaviour, gold winner: Floral Bathtub, Mousam Ray, India

    This image was taken at North Bengal Agricultural University in Cooch Behar, West Bengal
    A bird bathes in the petals of a living flower. This image was taken at North Bengal Agricultural University in Cooch Behar, West Bengal.

  • Bird behaviour, silver winner: The Face of Death, Massimiliano Apollo, Italy

    In northern Italy in late summer, prior to migrating south, purple herons try to feed as much as possible and take advantage of the abundance of prey present in the rice fields
    In northern Italy in late summer, prior to migrating south, the region’s purple herons try to feed as much as possible and take advantage of the abundance of prey present in the rice fields.

  • Black and white, gold winner: Chinstrap Penguin, Renato Granieri, UK

    A single chinstrap penguin on top of a giant iceberg
    A single chinstrap penguin on top of a giant iceberg.

  • Black and white, silver winner: Feather Light, James Rogerson, UK

    A preening northern gannet
    A preening northern gannet.

  • Urban birds, gold winner: Dipper On Shopping Trolley, Terry Whittaker, UK

    A white-throated dipper nests under an old road bridge in Greater Manchester
    A white-throated dipper nests under an old road bridge in Greater Manchester.

  • Urban birds, silver winner: Lockdown, William Steel, South Africa

    A karoo prinia searching for insects on a security gate in South Africa
    A karoo prinia searching for insects on a security gate in South Africa.

  • Creative imagery, gold winner: Sprats and Bread, Ruediger Schulz, Germany

    A kingfisher appears to enjoy a can of sprats

  • Creative imagery, silver winner: Funnel, Kathryn Cooper, UK

    Between November and March, tens of thousands of common starlings migrate to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Potteric Carr nature reserve
    Between November and March, tens of thousands of common starlings migrate to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Potteric Carr nature reserve.

  • Portfolio award, winner: Puffins: Wing Stretch, Kevin Morgans, UK

    A puffin stretches its wings

  • Portfolio award, winner: Puffins: Lost in Thought, Kevin Morgans, UK

    A puffin appears to contemplate a beautiful view of the horizon

  • Conservation award, gold winner: Hargila Army: Beautiful Scavengers, Carla Rhodes, US

    Towering at 1.5 metres tall and with a wingspan of 2.5 metres, greater adjutants are the most endangered species of stork on the planet. These birds were pictured in Assam in north-east India where they live on a landfill site
    Towering at 1.5m tall and with a wingspan of 2.5m, greater adjutants are the most endangered species of stork on the planet.

  • Conservation award, gold winner:

    Hargila Army: Beautiful Scavengers, Carla Rhodes, USWorkers sorting garbage at the Boragaon landfill in Guwahati in north-east India where the greater adjutant storks live
    Migrant rag-pickers sorting garbage at the Boragaon landfill in Guwahati in north-east India. The storks live on the site.

  • 14–17 years, gold winner and young bird photographer of the year: Black Grouse Lekking at Sunrise, Levi Fitze, Switzerland

    Black grouse at sunrise

  • 9–13 years, gold winner: In the Woodland, Andrés L Domínguez Blanco, Spain

    This Eurasian nuthatch regularly uses the trunk of a Portuguese oak as a route to go down to drink
    This eurasian nuthatch regularly uses the trunk of a Portuguese oak as a route to go down to drink.
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