18 majestic images from the 2025 Audubon Photography Awards

Bird photos that really take flight.

By Popular Science Team

Published Sep 17, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

A black and white American Oystercatcher feeds a chick a mollusk with its long orange beak. Out of focus, rocks and sea surround the scene — American Oystercatchers. 2025 Coastal Birds Chile Winner. Location: Antofagasta, Chile.
Photo: Francisco Castro Escobar/Audubon Photography Awards

An estimated 50 billion wild birds populate our planet, according to a 2021 study. From garbage-eating urban pigeons to colorful parrots in tropical forests, the diversity of birds is impressive. For the past 120 years, the National Audubon Society has worked to helped Earth’s birds through conservation and awareness campaigns.

Today, the National Audubon Society shared the winners of its sixteenth annual Audubon Photography Awards.

A blue and grey kingfisher flies out of the water, creating a splash around its wet body, shaggy crest, white collar, and rufous belly. The bird and countless tiny droplets are in sharp focus. — Ringed Kingfisher
2025 Grand Prize Winner, Chile and Colombia
Location: Saval Park, Valdivia, Los Ríos, Chile
Credit: Felipe Esteban Toledo Alarcón/Audubon Photography Awards

“Now in its sixteenth year, the awards have expanded to Chile and Colombia with new prizes focusing on migratory species, habitats, and conservation—all while continuing to feature stunning imagery that highlights the beauty and joy of birds and fascinating avian behaviors,” the nonprofit conservation organization shared in a press release.

This year, the contest was expanded to include Chile and Colombia and added new prizes in categories focused on migratory species, habitats, and conservation. The 2026 Audubon Photography Awards will open for entries on January 15, 2026, so get your cameras ready.

A white and gray bird, hovering in the air with its wings fully extended, feeds a juvenile
perched on a railing, handing it a fish with its orange beak. — Royal Terns
2025 Birds Without Borders Winner, Chile and Colombia
Location: San Andrés Island, San Andrés and Providencia, Colombia
Credit: Jacobo Giraldo Trejos/Audubon Photography Awards

Two mostly green birds are in a dispute in front of the dead tree trunk. One has its claws
upon the other and several loose feathers are suspended in the air. — Orange-winged Parrot and Blue-headed Parrot, Bactris sp.
2025 Plants for Birds Colombia Honorable Mention, Chile and Colombia
Location: Yalí, Antioquia, Colombia
Credit: Rubén Tórres /Audubon Photography Awards

A hummingbird with bright hues of electric purple, black, and specks of yellow hovers
in the center of the frame as it dips its long beak into a cluster of golden flowers — Purple-backed Thornbill and Gaiadendron punctatum
2025 Plants for Birds Colombia Winner
Location: Villamaria, Caldas, Colombia
Photo: Cristian Valencia/Audubon Photography Awards

A dark brown hawk stands on a pile of dried rice ears. Behind it, a fire burns, but in the
midst of smoke and orange flames, the bird is alert and serene — Savanna Hawk
2025 Conservation Winner, Chile and Colombia
Location: Cúcuta, Norte de Santander, Colombia
Credit: Luis Alberto Peña/Audubon Photography Awards

A small owl with yellow eyes and fluffy brown plumage with white streaks and spots is
perched on a thorny branch. Red rose hips, blurred in the background, surround the owl — Austral Pygmy-Owl
2025 Birds in Landscapes Chile Honorable Mention, Chile and Colombia
Location: Coyhaique, Chile
Credit: Francisco Vera Núñez/Audubon Photography Awards Francisco VERA

About 25 flamingos stand in shallow water on a beach. Their backlit bodies cast
shadows. A low, flat layer of clouds and looming mountain silhouettes form the background.
Warm sunlight envelopes the scene. — Chilean Flamingos
2025 Birds in Landscapes Chile Winner
Location: Puerto Natales, Magallanes, Chile
Credit: Caro Aravena Costa/Audubon Photography Awards Caro Aravena Costa

A small bird with a deep orange breast and black-and-white-striped wings perches on a
moss-covered branch, holding a moth in its beak. The moth’s tiny scales float in the air — Blackburnian Warbler
2025 Youth Winner, Colombia and Chile
Location: Santiago de Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
Credit: Camilo Sanabria Grajales/Audubon Photography Awards

Nearly two dozen birds fly in a dark blue sky. Their long, narrow wings and forked tails
stand out against wispy clouds and the sun, which is surrounded by a bright halo — Magnificent Frigatebirds
2025 Grand Prize Winner, United States and Canada
Location: Teacapán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Credit: Liron Gertsman/Audubon Photography Awards

An owl with yellow eyes and its wings fanned behind its head flies above a marsh. The
long grasses are blurred, and the background is lit up in shades of yellow and orange — Long-eared Owl
2025 Youth Winner, United States and Canada
Location: Coyote Hills Regional Park, Fremont, California, United States
Credit: Parham Pourahmad/Audubon Photography Awards

A male shorebird balances on female’s back while spreading his wings. Their long pink
legs contrast with their black and white plumage and the golden water — Black-necked Stilt
2025 Coastal Birds Chile Honorable Mention, Chile and Colombia
Location: Papudo, Valparaíso, Chile
Credit: Solange Sepulveda/Audubon Photography Awards

The blue heads of two parrots emerge from a hole in a curved tree branch. Below, out
of focus, cars, motorcycles, and buses pass on a busy street — Blue-headed Parrots
2025 Birds in Landscapes Colombia Winner
Location: 5th Street, Cali, Colombia
Credit: Shamir Shah/Audubon Photography Awards

Thousands of white gannets speckle a dark rock in the image foreground. A massive
bay, starlit night sky, and the hazy Milky Way galaxy illuminate the background. — Northern Gannets
2025 Birds in Landscapes Winner, United States and Canada
Location: Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada
Credit: Joe Subolefsky/Audubon Photography Awards
Joe Subolefsky

Thousands of white geese fill the frame, and their blurred yellow and white wings
create an abstract pattern. Their individual bodies are barely visible — Snow Geese
2025 Birds Without Borders Winner, United States and Canada
Location: Mount Vernon, Washington, United States
Credit: Yoshiki Nakamura/Audubon Photography Awards Yoshiki Nakamura

A pile of lumber boards with numbers on them fills the frame, nearly all slightly out of
focus. In the right third of the image, a small owl in sharp focus looks at the viewfinder. — Burrowing Owl
2025 Conservation Winner, United States and Canada
Location: Marco Island, Florida, United States
Credit: Jean Hall/Audubon Photography Awards

A sparrow with a chestnut cap sits on a branch covered in bright green lichen. The bird
faces the camera, with her head tilted to one side and fine strands of material in her bill. — Chipping Sparrow
2025 Female Bird Winner, United States and Canada
Location: Bogus Basin near Boise, Idaho, United States
Credit: Sean Pursley/Audubon Photography Awards

Brandt’s Cormorant, red grape algae and seagrass
2025 Plants for Birds Winner, United States and Canada
Location: La Jolla, California, United States
Credit: Barbara Swanson/Audubon Photography Awards