Check out this year's Bird Photographer of the Year winning pics

Get ready to swoop in on some nest-level talent!

The winners of this year's Bird Photographer of the Year competition have been revealed.

More than 24,000 pictures from around the world were entered into this year's contest.

There were winners across several categories, but who took the main crown this year? Keep reading to find out.

This picture was taken on Skomer Island, off the coast of Wales.

The photographer, Volker Widmann, spent several days on the island photographing Atlantic puffins in the early morning and late evening, when there were fewer people around.

They waited at the puffin colony until sunset to capture this bird against the bright reflections on the ocean.

This image of a tawny frogmouth, by Donald Chin, won the Gold Award in the Bird Behaviour category.

The photographer captured the fledgling in the Australian city of Perth, as rain fell through the forest.

The young bird appears to be stretching its wings over its siblings, as if trying to keep them dry from the falling raindrops.

In the Birds in Flight category, this picture of a short-eared owl picked up the top prize.

It was taken by Ivan Sjögren as the bird was flying over the salt marshes of British Columbia in Canada at dusk.

The photographer waited in the grass and watched the owl's movements before capturing the moment it turned its head as it silently flew past.

The overall winner of this year's contest went to this photo, by Henley Spiers, of a northern gannet.

It was taken in Shetland in Scotland, as the bird burst through the sun while diving into the sea in search of food.

Northern gannets can dive at speeds of up to 86km per hour, with their bodies specially adapted to cope with the impact as they hit the water.

The photo also picked up the Gold Award in the Birds in the Environment category.

This picture captures a common swift flying through the air on a hot summer day in Norway's capital, Oslo.

The photographer, Åsmund Keilen, used a special in-camera technique called multiple exposure, with the bird reflected in the shiny roof of a blue car.

They added that the bright sun and drifting birch seeds helped to create a picture full of movement and summer light.

There was also a Young Bird Photographer of the Year category, split into three different age groups.

In the 15-17 age group, this picture of a great horned owl won the Gold Award, and it was also named the overall Young Bird Photographer of the Year 2026.

The image was taken at dusk, by Parham Pourahmad, in the western US state of California.

The photographer had hoped to capture a portrait of the owls, but changed plans when they saw one of them fly onto a pine tree in front of the rising full Moon.

In the 12-14 age group, the Gold Award went to Paula Czaeczin for this picture of a red-necked phalarope in Norway.

The photographer was watching the bird search for food when it suddenly stretched its wings and took off.

Paula quickly selected a high-speed setting on the camera, capturing the moment the bird flew into the air with a small moth it had caught.

And finally, in the 11-and-under age group, top prize was awarded to this picture of a great cormorant in London.

Photographer Alberto Román Gómez said that cormorants in the local area are difficult to photograph, but the birds in the capital were much more trusting and allowed people to get closer to them.

Alberto was particularly impressed by the bird's emerald green eyes, and decided to capture a close-up portrait of the cormorant's head.