Best Bird Pictures: Air, Sea, Ice Shots Win New Contest

Second Prize: "Surfacing"

Photograph by Mike Murray, HBW/Rex

The beak and head of a common loon break the water's surface in Wisconsin. In photographer Mike Murray's picture, "you can see the water form this tension—you can see such a beautiful bird from such a different perspective," del Hoyo said.

Loons dive as deep as 200 feet (60 meters) to snare their prey. (See more bird pictures.)

Published July 18, 2012

Third Prize: "Calliope Shuttle Display"

Photograph by Walter Nussbaumer, HBW/Rex

Captured by photographer Walter Nussbaumer, a male calliope hummingbird (left) performs a "shuttle display" courtship dance for a female in British Columbia, Canada.

"I've seen thousands of pictures of hummingbirds," del Hoyo said, "but this is one of the greatest. When you see the ornaments these birds have, in this detail, that's what makes it a great picture."

The calliope—whose Latin name, Stellula calliope, means "little star"—is North America's tiniest bird, measuring about two inches (five centimeters) from head to tail. The birds eat flower nectar, sap, and small insects.

(See "World's Fastest Flyer Is a Hummingbird?")

Published July 18, 2012

Best Digiscoped Photo: "At the Nest"

Photograph by Pete Morris, HBW/Rex

Digiscoping—the art of pairing a digital camera with a telescope to capture far-away subjects—allowed U.K. photographer Pete Morris a rare glimpse of the helmet vanga bird in Madagascar (above).

The picture, which won the "best digiscoped photograph" category, shows a view that's "very much sought after when you go to Madagascar," del Hoyo said.

"To find this bird in its nest and take [a photo] with such detail is amazing."

The helmet vanga, which can grow to a foot (0.3 meter) in length, is best known for its distinctive blue, hooked bill. (Get bird wallpapers.)

Published July 18, 2012

Best Threatened-Species Photo:
"In the Air"

Photograph by Dubi Shapiro, HBW/Rex

Found mostly in a small habitat in Peru, the marvellous spatuletail—pictured here by U.S. photographer Dubi Shapiro—is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

"Maybe ten years ago there were hardly any photos of" the species, del Hoyo said. "So to see a great photo of one on full display was wonderful."

(See "Rare Bird Gets Own 'Luxury' Beach.")

Published July 18, 2012

Best Vox Populi Photo: "Together"

Photograph by Kit Day, HBW/Rex

The people have spoken. In the one category where voters, not judges, chose which feathery head to crown, the little bee-eaters in this photograph won in a landslide.

Indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa, the little bee-eater species, is, perhaps not surprisingly, the smallest of the bee-eaters.

"This really showed the taste of society," del Hoyo said. "They like colorful birds—they like birds that show love and are close together. This was a clear winner."

(See more pictures of bee-eaters in National Geographic magazine.)

Published July 18, 2012

Honorable Mention: "In the Mist"

Photograph by Jaime Rojo, HBW/Rex

A gentoo penguin in Antarctica lets loose its famous trumpeting call in a picture by Mexican photographer Jaime Rojo.

"This is one of the most captivating pictures of landscapes in the collection," del Hoyo said. "These two birds appear here like at the center of another planet. The whole attitude is spectacular."

Though gentoos are the fastest penguins in the water, they're often safer on predator-free land. (See pictures of more Antarctic animals.)

Published July 18, 2012

Honorable Mention: "Instant"

Photograph by Philip Perry, HBW/Rex

A lappet-faced vulture attacks a golden jackal in Tanzania in a picture by Philip Perry.

Though first and foremost a scavenging bird, the vulture will make a play for live food when it detects weakness in its prey.

"With this picture, just a half-second before or a half-second later wouldn't have been as great as this moment," del Hoyo said. "This is the kind of picture we want ... one that shows action, that shows behavior."

(See pictures of birds of prey.)

Published July 18, 2012

Honorable Mention: "Spring Snowstorm"

Photograph by Keith Williams, HBW/Rex

Tree swallows huddle through a spring snowstorm in Canada's Yukon Territory during their southward migration.

"It's nice to show them together, protecting themselves," del Hoyo said of Keith Williams's picture. "It's like, We have come here to breed, but no good—we have to wait."

(See "Longest Animal Migration Measured, Bird Flies 40,000 Miles a Year.")

Published July 18, 2012

Honorable Mention: "Coming Through!"

Photograph by Harri Taavetti, HBW/Rex

Looking a bit like the rubber duckies of Mother Nature's own tub, a flock of Steller's eiders bobs through a Norwegian current in Finnish photographer Harri Taavetti's picture.

"Them swimming all together, and in this light, makes a great combination," del Hoyo said. "All the jury members thought it worked very well."

(Disclosure: The judges included Kathy Moran, a senior editor at National Geographic magazine. The magazine and National Geographic News are both divisions within the National Geographic Society.)

Published July 18, 2012

Honorable Mention: "Quelea Jam"

Photograph by Antero Topp, HBW/Rex

Besieged by what first appear to be locusts, an African elephant trudges through a dense flock of red-billed quelea (KILL-ee-uh) in Kenya.

"These birds make some of the biggest flocks, many millions at once," del Hoyo said. "To see the biggest land animal being actually moved by these little birds was a very special thing."

(Check out National Geographic's backyard bird identifier.)

Published July 18, 2012

Next: Best Underwater Pictures—Winners of 2012 Amateur Contest

Photograph courtesy Ximena Olds, RSMAS

Published July 18, 2012