Overall Winner: "Sky Chase"
Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, 2005
Natural History Museum, London, and BBC Wildlife Magazine

This image of a swirling flock of starlings evading a peregrine falcon in Rome, Italy, was voted best overall photo in the 2005 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. Announced in London on October 20, the winning images—five of which are included in this gallery—were among 17,000 entries from over 55 countries.

Manuel Presti snapped the peregrine's high-speed attack in his home city, where thousands of European starlings roost each winter. Presti, who travels the world taking nature photos, said, “It pays to keep your eyes open to the wildlife on your doorstep.”

Competition judges praised "Sky Chase" for its energy and movement as well as its starkness and graphic simplicity.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the world's largest wildlife-photograph competition. Organized by London's Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine, the 2005 competition's top images are on exhibit at the museum through April 23, 2006. The exhibition will then tour internationally.

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Photograph courtesy the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, organized by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine