See 12 Captivating Bird Images From the Audubon Photography Awards

Pale white willow ptarmigans flap through a frozen alpine landscape, seemingly invisible against the snow. A wild turkey stretches her wings with dramatic flair. Blackburnian warblers, with throat feathers the color of flames, lock their feet and beaks together in a tussle.

For the 15th year, the Audubon Photography Awards, hosted by the National Audubon Society, has pulled back the curtain on bird behavior with these scenes and more. Upwards of 2,300 entrants participated in the annual contest this time around, representing all 50 U.S.



states, Washington, D.C., one territory and nine Canadian provinces.

The bird conservation nonprofit Thursday, unveiling a suite of eight winning images and four honorable mentions that feature birds fighting, flying, mating, hunting, foraging and raising their young. This year, a new contest category honors images of these feathered creatures in their natural environments: Birds in Landscapes. Alongside this new competition, photographs could be submitted to professional, amateur and youth categories, as well as special categories for birds and native plants (Plants for Birds), unique compositions (Fisher Prize) and often overlooked female birds (Female Bird Prize).

Here are 12 of the artful and moving entries honored by . The song of a magnolia warbler drew amateur photographer down the trail in Pennsylvania’s Promised Land State Park. But suddenly, his attention was diverted as a pair of birds fell—quite literally—at his feet.

Two mal.