Markus Varesvuo / Snowy owl (Bubo scandiaca) female face close up, Canada February

Bence Mate / Great egrets (Ardea alba) sky pointing, sizing each other up before fighting, Lake Csaj, Kiskunsagi National Park, Pusztaszer, Hungary. January.

MYN / Gil Wizen / Shield bug (Ventocoris falcatus) Central Coastal Plain, Israel Meetyourneighbours.net project

Jussi Murtosaari / Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) Alajarvi, Etela-Pohjanmaa / Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland

Danny Green / Great Grey owl (Strix nebulosa) taking off from the ground in snow, Finland, April. Bookplate from Danny Green's 'The Long Journey North'

Andrew Walmsley / Silver eye / Grey backed white eye (Zosterops lateralis) in flowering Pohutukawa tree (Metrosideros excelsa) Botanic Gardens, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand, December

Robin Chittenden / Sri Lanka white-eye (Zosterops ceylonensis) Sri Lanka.

Richard Du Toit / Cape white-eyes (Zosterops capensis) feeding on flowers, Garden Route, Western Cape Province,South Africa.

Martin Gabriel / Seychelles grey white-eye (Zosterops modestus), Mahe Island, Republic of Seychelles

Martin Gabriel / Seychelles grey white-eye (Zosterops modestus), Mahe Island, Republic of Seychelles. Vulnerable species.

Luke Massey / White-eyes (Zosterops sp.) wait in a cage at Denpasar Bird Market, Bali.

Suzi Eszterhas / Great egret (Ardea alba) chick, aged 1-2 days, in an incubator at the International Bird Rescue, Fairfield, California, USA. *Digitally removed pipe from behind wall.