The Bird Photographer of the Year 2024 competition has crowned its winners, showcasing the beauty and fragility of avian life. Canadian photographer Patricia Homonylo took home the top prize for her poignant image, ‘When Worlds Collide.’ The photograph, featuring over 4,000 birds that tragically perished after colliding with windows in Toronto, serves as a stark reminder of the devastating impact urban environments can have on bird populations. Homonylo, a conservation photojournalist, explains that over a billion birds die in North America alone each year due to window collisions. She has been working with the [name of organization] to rescue survivors of window collisions in Toronto, but tragically, most of the birds they find are already deceased. Homonylo uses these collected birds to create impactful displays at the end of each year, a powerful way to honor the lost lives and raise public awareness about this critical issue.
The competition, with over 23,000 entries from across the globe, highlighted the incredible diversity of the avian world, showcasing everything from graceful swans and caged parrots to hungry vultures and adorable penguins. The 2024 edition also saw a young talent shine, as 14-year-old Andrés Luis Domínguez Blanco won the Young Bird Photographer of the Year award. This recognition emphasizes the importance of raising awareness about bird conservation among younger generations.
