A dramatic moment as pair of Red-crowned Cranes was dancing in the snow was documented in Hokkaido, Japan by Michele McCormick. Among the 100 bird photos selected by Audubon, a rare photo of a displaying Spruce Grouse was taken by John Dickson near Paradise, Michigan. The unusually symmetric position of a family group of 5 Pileated Woodpeckers at their nesting cavity was documented in a photo taken in Florida by Jan Nickols.

Each year of the Audubon Bird Photography Awards is exciting, but this year’s competition was especially celebratory because 2024 marks the 125th anniversary of Audubon magazine, and the 15th year of the annual bird photo competition. Roughly 2,300 entrants from across the United States and Canada submitted more than 8,500 photographs and videos of birds feeding, flying, fighting, mating, nesting, and more. As announced in our June 26th issue of The Birding Wire, 14 photos were selected by the judges as winners or honorable mention winners. But now Audubon is showcasing 100 more of the favorite photographs selected from this year’s submissions.

These stunning images from amateur, professional, and youth photographers picture birds on nearly every continent to offer a dazzling “snapshot” overview of the birds around us. You can enjoy each photo and learn more about the featured species, as well as the techniques and approaches of the photographers who took each image at The 2024 Audubon Photo Awards: The Top 100 | Audubon