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Image © Brian Matthews, European shag. All images © Bird Photographer of the Year, shared with permission

Shots of Snuggling Swans and Ravenous Shags Best the 2021 Bird Photographer of the Year Contest

This year’s Bird Photographer of the Year contest (previously) highlights a variety of avian adventures from a mallard duckling chasing a fly and an impatient shag to a hamerkop ruthlessly tossing a toad in the air. Now in its sixth year, the annual competition released a selection of finalists this week from more than 22,000 entries spanning 73 countries that capture a range of playful, intimate, and sometimes merciless moments. 2021’s winners will be announced in September. See some of Colossal’s favorite shots below, and pre-order the book compiling more than 200 photographs on the contest’s site.

 

Image © Andy Parkinson, mute swan
Image © Daniel Zhang, hamerkop
Image © Mark Williams, Eurasian nuthatch
Image © Gábor Li, shags
Image © James Wilcox, American Oystercatcher
Image © Zdeněk Jakl, mallard duck
Image © Li Ying Lou, red-crowned crane
Image © David White, swallow

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