This year, more than 8,000 images depicting birdlife from all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces were judged. The competition celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the many bird species protected by this conservation law. The photos were taken by both amateur and professional photographers, who braved frigid weather, trekked through dense forests and walked across wetlands to capture the perfect shots of our fine feathered friends.
Scroll down to enjoy some of this year’s winners and runners-up with us below.
American Oystercatchers on Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, in New York #
Raymond Hennessy / Audubon Photography Awards
Grand Prize Winner. Great Gray Owl in Teton County, Wyoming #
Steve Mattheis / Audubon Photography Awards
Youth Winner. Cobalt-winged Parakeets in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador #
Liron Gertsman / Audubon Photography Awards
Youth Honorable Mention. Fawn-breasted Brilliant in Mindo, Ecuador #
Liron Gertsman / Audubon Photography Awards
American Coot in Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, Port Aransas, Texas #
Kevin Malo / Audubon Photography Awards
King Penguin on St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia Island #
Harry Colquhoun / Audubon Photography Awards
Northern Harrier in Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, Wallkill, New York #
Scott Joshua Dere / Audubon Photography Awards
Western Screech-Owl #
Joe Galkowski / Audubon Photography Awards
Mallard and bobcat in Yellowstone National Park. After five hours of active stalking, this bobcat successfully caught a mallard drake. #
Cindy Goeddel / Audubon Photography Awards
A close-up of a Buff-tailed Coronet in Mindo, Ecuador #
Liron Gertsman / Audubon Photography Awards
Reddish Egret in Fort De Soto Park, St. Petersburg, Florida #
Peter Brannon / Audubon Photography Awards
Northern Hawk Owls in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska #
Sam Wilson / Audubon Photography Awards
A Peregrine Falcon and Rock Pigeons in Cleveland, Ohio #
Chris Saladin / Audubon Photography Awards
Least Tern on Cape Charles, Virginia #
Carolina Fraser / Audubon Photography Awards
Pyrrhuloxia on Santa Clara Ranch, McCook, Texas #
Judy Lynn Malloch / Audubon Photography Awards
Comments