JIM CLARE / Galapagos hawk (Buteo galapagoensis) perched, Galapagos

Tim Laman / Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) standing on lava rock. Santiago Island, Galapagos

John Cancalosi / Researcher tagging White stork chicks at nest {Ciconia ciconia} Spain

Gabriel Rojo / Snowy sheathbill {Chionis alba} Patagonia, Argentina

Tom Vezo / Crested Auklet {Aethia cristatella} portrait on a rock, Alaska. Saint Paul Island

David Tipling / Cock-of-the-rock {Rupicola peruvianus}, male, at lek in cloud forest, Manu Biosphere Reserve, Peru.

Pete Oxford / Cock of the Rock (Rupicola peruvianus) male at lek. Manu cloud forest, Peru, South America

David Tipling / Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) migrant male caught in spring trap (also known as a clap trap or sep trap) Ponza, Italy, April 2012

David Tipling / Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) migrant male caught in spring trap (also known as a clap trap or sep trap) Ponza, Italy, April 2012

David Tipling / Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) migrant male caught in spring trap (also known as a clap trap or sep trap) Ponza, Italy, April 2012

Konrad Wothe / Dolphin Gull (Leucophaeus scoresbii) on mussel covered rock, New Island, West Falklands, South America. February

Roger Powell / Northern gannets (Morus bassanus) pair copulating, Great Saltee Island, Wexford, Republic of Ireland, June

Roger Powell / Common treecreeper (Certhia familiaris) on the trunk of a pine tree taking food in to feed chicks at the nest site, Ravenwood NR, Wexford, Republic of Ireland, June

Konrad Wothe / Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno costaricensis) male perching portrait, Costa Rica

Konrad Wothe / Slaty flowerpiercer (Diglossa plumbea) male in rainforest, Cerro de la Muerte, Costa Rica

Konrad Wothe / Sooty-capped bush tanger (Chlorospingus pileatus) in rainforest, Cerro de la muerte, Costa Rica

Konrad Wothe / Purple throated Mountain gem (Lampornis castaneoventris cinereicauda) female drinking on flower, Cerro de la Muerte, Costa Rica

Konrad Wothe / Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno costaricensis) male perching, Costa Rica

Roland Seitre / Yellow-eared Parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis) perched. Endangered. Tolima, Colombia, 2010.

Roland Seitre / Yellow-eared Parrots (Ognorhynchus icterotis) in flight. Endangered. Tolima, Colombia, 2010.

Roland Seitre / Violet Sabrewing Hummingbird (Campylopterus hemileucurus). Poas Volcano National Park, Caribbean Coast, Vara Branca, Costa Rica.

Roland Seitre / Magnificent Hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens) perched. Savegre, Cerro de la Muerte, Costa Rica.

Roland Seitre / Snowcap Hummingbird (Microchera albocoronata). Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica.

Roland Seitre / Green Violet-ear Hummingbird (Colibri thalassinus) sitting on nest. Savegre, Cerro de la Muerte, Costa Rica.

Roland Seitre / Brown Violet-ear Hummingbird (Colibri delphinae) portrait. Captive. La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Poas, Costa Rica.

Erlend Haarberg / Male Rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) on grass covered mound, Iceland, July

Erlend Haarberg / Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) portrait, Pusztaszeri Landscape Protected Area, Hungary, September

Erlend Haarberg / Turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) portrait, Hungary, July

Erlend Haarberg / Male Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) portrait, Hungary, December

Erlend Haarberg / Eurasian golden oriole (Oriolus oriolus) perched, Pusztaszeri Landscape Protected Area, Hungary, August

Roland Seitre / Great Green / Buffon's Macaw (Ara ambiguus) grooming. La Marina Wildlife Rescue Center, La Selva, Costa Rica. 2008.

Roland Seitre / Great Green / Buffon's Macaw (Ara ambiguus) grooming. La Marina Wildlife Rescue Center, La Selva, Costa Rica. 2008.

Roland Seitre / Great Green / Buffon's Macaw (Ara ambiguus) portrait. La Marina Wildlife Rescue Center, La Selva, Costa Rica. 2008.

Roland Seitre / Hermit / Northern bald ibis (Geroniticus eremita) at the Jerez de la Frontera Zoo project for breeding and reintroducing the species, Cadiz, Spain. Critically endangered species.

Roland Seitre / Sign for the Ararinha Azul project (Little blue macaw project) Curaca, Bahia, Brazil, for the breeding and ultimate release of captive Spix's macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) Critically endangered species

Roland Seitre / Spix's macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) head portrait, Critically Endangered, captive, from Brazil

Roland Seitre / Spix's macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) portrait, Critically Endangered, captive, from Brazil

John Cancalosi / Yellow naped amazon parrot (Amazona auropalliata) perched on branch, Costa Rica, Captive

John Cancalosi / Yellow naped amazon parrot (Amazona auropalliata) perched on branch, Costa Rica, Captive

Mike Read / King penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) moulting adult, Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands

John Cancalosi / White-throated Magpie-jay (Calocitta formosa). Santa Rosa National Park tropical dry forest, Costa Rica.

John Cancalosi / White-throated Magpie-jay (Calocitta formosa) Santa Rosa National Park tropical dry forest, Costa Rica.

Roger Powell / Northern gannet (Morus bassanus) hovering over nesting colony, Great Saltee island, Wexford, Republic of Ireland, June

Bernard Castelein / Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus), Helgoland, Germany May

Bernard Castelein / Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) looking over another gannet, Helgoland, Germany, May May

Robert Thompson / Common cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) perched by its nest on coastal rocks. Little Saltee Island, Kilmore Quay, County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, June.

Robert Thompson / Common cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) perched on coastal rocks. Little Saltee Island, Kilmore Quay, County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, June.

Robert Thompson / Common cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) adult in profile perched on coastal rocks. Little Saltee Island, Kilmore Quay, County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, June.

Robert Thompson / Gannet (Morus bassanus) preening on a coastal rock. Great Saltee Island, Kilmore Quay, County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, June.

Marie Read / Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis), male clinging in its typical head-downward pose on birch trunk in autumn, New York, USA, November.

Troels Jacobsen/Arcticphoto / A man videoing a Tristan Thrush (Nesocichla eremita) perching on stones. Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic Islands, March 2007.

Bernard Castelein / Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) perched with feathers fluffed up, Zeeeland, The Netherlands

Tim Laman / Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) portrait, Galapagos, Endangered species

David Welling / Black-throated sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata) perching on a mesquite log in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, USA, April

Mary McDonald / Green-breasted Mango Hummingbird (Anthracothorax prevostii) male hovering at feeder Rancho Naturalista, Turrialba, Costa Rica, Central America.

Tim Laman / Scaly-breasted lorikeet (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus) preening, native to Eastern Australia, captive

Tim Laman / Violet-necked lory (Eos squamata) endemic to North Moluccas, captive

Richard Du Toit / Malachite kingfisher (Alcedo cristata) perched, Marievale bird sanctuary, Guateng, South Africa, October

Guy Edwardes / Herring gull (Larus argentatus) silhouetted at sunset, Kilmore Quay, County, Wexford, Republic of Ireland, June

David Tipling / Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) perched on flower head, San Diego, California, USA, April

David Tipling / Costa's hummingbird (Calypte costae) perched on branch, California, USA

David Tipling / American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) perched on branch, San Diego, California, USA

David Tipling / Californian condor (Gymnogyps californianus) portrait, Arizona, USA

David Tipling / Black crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) scavenging around restaurant, San Diego, California, USA

David Tipling / Ocellated Turkey {Meleagris ocellata} detail of tail feathers, Tikal Guatemala

David Tipling / Pompadour green pigeon (Treron pompadora) perched at the top of a tree, Subic, Luzon, Philippines

David Tipling / Male Phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens) perched on branch, California, USA, April

David Tipling / Gull billed tern {Gelochelidon nilotica} in flight, Greece

John Cancalosi / Pine siskin (Carduelis pinus) perched on conifer, New York, USA

John Cancalosi / American robin (Turdus migratorius) portrait, New York, USA

Guy Edwardes / Northern gannet (Morus bassanus) perched on rock, loooking backwards, Great Saltee, Co. Wexford, Republic of Ireland, June

Shattil & Rozinski / Male Pyrrhuloxia (Pyrrhuloxia sinuatus) perched on a thorny branch, Lower Rio Grande Valley wildlife corridor, Texas, USA

Tim Laman / Black Hornbill (Anthracoceros malayanus) male perched in rainforest tree. Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia

John Cancalosi / Eagle owl (Bubo bubo) perched in tree, Europe, Captive

Tim Laman / Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor) juvenile on nest. North Seymour Island, Galapagos Islands.

Tim Laman / Lava heron (Butorides sundevalli) fishing from the shore, endemic to the Galapagos, Puerto Egas, Santiago Island, Galapagos Islands.

Tim Laman / Island scrub-jay (Aphelocoma insularis), endemic to Santa Cruz Island, California. July 2002.

Tim Laman / Galapagos mockingbird (Nesomimus parvulus) standing on a branch, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands.

Tim Laman / Orange Dove (Ptilinopus victor) in rainforest, Taveuni Island, Fiji. Endemic

Tim Laman / Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus) on nest with egg at nesting colony, Teuaua Islet,off Ua Huka Island, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.

Tim Laman / Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus) on nest with egg at nesting colony, Teuaua Islet, off Ua Huka Island, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.

Tim Laman / Immature yellow-crowned night heron (Nyctanassa violacea) Genovesa / Tower Island, Galapagos, June

Tim Laman / Micronesian kingfisher (Todiramphus cinnamominus pelewensis) formally known as (Halcyon cinnamomina) endemic to Micronesia, Koror, Republic of Palau. December

John Cancalosi / Male Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus) on bird feeder, Arizona, USA

John Cancalosi / Male Northern Cardinal (cardinalis cardinalis) perched on bird feeder, Arizona, USA

Steven Kazlowski / Forster's caracara (Phalcoboenus australis) on rocks. Falkland Islands, South Atlantic Ocean

TJ Rich / Sacred ibis {Threskiornis aethiopicus} wading in water, South Luangwa NP, Zambia

TJ Rich / African spoonbill {Platalea alba} wading in water, South Luangwa NP, Zambia

TJ Rich / African spoonbill {Platalea alba} wading in water, South Luangwa NP, Zambia

Shattil & Rozinski / Pine grosbeak {Pinicola enucleator} male, Alaska, USA

Shattil & Rozinski / Aplomado falcon {Falco femoralis} perched on Yucca plant, endangered, Atascosa NW reserve, Texas, USA

John Cancalosi / Two Great egrets {Ardea alba} in breeding plumage, Louisiana, USA

John Cancalosi / Cattle egret {Bubulcus ibis} adult, Louisiana, USA

John Cancalosi / Great Egrets {Ardea alba} with young on nest, Louisiana, USA

Steve Knell / Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) Male, Norway, 2006

Steve Knell / Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) Female, Norway, January 2007