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We pored through thousands of entries for this year’s contest. The best images show birds going about their business in the most glorious ways.

Revel in the staggering beauty and surprising behaviors featured in this gallery of our favorite images. Also check out the story behind each shot.

Take a moment to enjoy this year's lineup of entertaining avians while learning the story behind each clip.

In our attempts to restore kelp forests, hungry sea urchins should not be villainized, says Kate Vylet. “Everything’s just trying to survive.”

Beguiled by the birds’ courtship ritual, wildlife photographer Noppadol Paothong makes a difficult journey to document their glory so that others can appreciate it.

In Minnesota, a boreal forest ecosystem could shift north over the Canada border this century. Local photographers, scientists, and land managers are grappling with what that means—and how to respond.

A intrepid researcher faces steep odds as she attempts to study nutcrackers in the Cascade Mountains. But the birds—and the singular trees they help sustain—are too important for her not to persist.

As sea-level rise transforms South Florida’s fringe of wetlands into open ocean, Roseate Spoonbills are moving north. Land managers are following their lead, restoring the ecosystem with an eye for resilience, too.

Although still common, these much-loved falcons continue to disappear from North American skies. Scientists are racing to understand why.