Andy Rouse / Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) hunting in reeds, Bulgaria. Horizontal version of 01609394. Highly honoured in the Bird Category of the Nature's Best Photography Competition 2019.

Guy Edwardes / Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus), portrait. Lake Kerkini, Sintik, Greece. January.

George Sanker / Great egret (Ardea alba) with prey in beak, in evening light. Myakka River State Park, Florida, USA, March. Sequence 2/2.

George Sanker / Great egret (Ardea alba) diving head into water to catch prey, in evening light. Myakka River State Park, Florida, USA, March. Sequence 1/2.

Staffan Widstrand / African Spoonbill (Platalea alba) preening, Zimanga Private Nature Reserve, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Lucas Bustamante / Zigzag Heron (Zebrilus undulatus) camouflaged in branches while nesting. Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

John Chan / California brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) roosting on a mudflat, with a flock of Elegant terns (Thalasseus elegans) nearby, Southern California, USA May/2019

John Shaw / Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) at its nesting colony site, in early morning light. St. Johns Management Area, Florida, USA, April.

John Shaw / Snowy egret (Egretta thula) shows its breeding plumage. St. Johns Management Area, Florida, USA, March.

Andy Rouse / Little bittern, (Ixobrychus minutus), hunting in reeds, Bulgaria, June. This is a crop of 1637244. Highly honoured in the Bird Category of the Nature's Best Photography Competition 2019.

Andy Rouse / Little bittern, (Ixobrychus minutus), hunting in reeds, Bulgaria, June.

Oscar Dewhurst / Great bittern (Botaurus stellaris) with recently caught fish prey in beak. Suffolk, UK. November.