Endangered species (Special Photography)

Tarzan's chameleon

Named after the town of Tarzanville in Madagascar where it was discovered in 2009, Tarzan's chameleon is one of the most colourful of the 61,900 species on this year's updated Red List. Calumma tarzan is critically endangered and one of 22 terrestrial reptiles listed as threatened in Madagascar, mainly because tropical forests are being cleared.

(Image: Jörn Köhler)

Coco de Mer (Coconut poachers)

Prized for its supposed aphrodisiac properties, the infamous Seychelles plant  (Lodoicea maldivica) is in even greater danger than before, moving up the list from vulnerable to endangered. IUCN says the plant is under threat from fires and illegal harvesting of its kernels. Despite strict regulations governing collection and sale of its seed, a significant black market exists for its kernals. Globally, a fifth of plants face extinction.

(Image: Jean-Christophe Vie)

Tuna

Five of eight species of tuna are now in the threatened or near-threatened categories, including the endangered Atlantic bluefin (Thunnus thynnus) pictured here. The others in trouble are the southern bluefin, the bigeye, the yellowfin and the albacore. The hope is that the listings will help governments introduce and enforce safeguards to preserve them.

(Image: © OCEANA /Keith Ellenbogen)

Hopping pharmacies

 Amphibians got this name because they are rich in natural, medically useful substances. Now many are endangered, and the 26 newly discovered amphibians added to the Red List this year include the blessed poison frog (Ranitomeya benedicta), discovered 2008 in Peru, imperilled by habitat loss and the international pet trade.

(Image: Jason Brown)

Rhino

From now on, the only place you'll see this subspecies of black rhino from western Africa is in photographs or stuffed in museums. That's because this year, the western black rhino (Diceros bicornis longipipes) is officially extinct, and others are clinging on by a thread. In all, the IUCN says that a quarter of all mammals are at risk of extinction. It's not all bad news though. One of conservation's success stories is (Ceratotherium simum simum), a subspecies of the African southern white rhino, which has soared in number from less than 100 individuals to 20,000 since the end of the 19th century.

(Image: Richard Emslie)
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Near Passerine Photos

Rainbow Bee-Eaters

Photograph by Jenny Hall
A beautiful pair of rainbow bee-eaters; this shot was taken in my backyard in the top end of Australia's Northern Territory. The male is the one with the longer center tail feather.

Kea

Photograph by Tzachy Rachamim
During our trip to New Zealand, we went to the Mueller hut, an alpine hut that overlooks Cook Mountain, the highest mountain in New Zealand. While going uphill to get a better view, four keas (mountain parrots) flew above us and landed right next to us in order to investigate what we were doing. (This is a very curious bird.) This is one of the keas landing next to us.

Macaws

Photograph by Kraig Darnell
A lucky shot at the San Diego Zoo

Pigeons

Photograph by Ky Lu
When I visited the famous Ge Er Temple in Qinghai Province, China, I saw some pigeons flying over the stupas and some lifting and some landing. Taking the moment, I took this one.

Pigeons Scattering

Photograph by Animesh Hazra
Wings of freedom at Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad

Northern Flickers

Photograph by Mike Paterson
One of a series of shots displaying the mating ritual of a pair of northern flickers

Pileated Woodpecker

Photograph by Edward Mattis
Pileated woodpecker over Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

Blue-Tailed Bee-Eater

Photograph by Yangchen Lin
A blue-tailed bee-eater bursts through the surface in an exuberant spray of water, its wings beating at full thrust to regain cruising altitude. Tropical birds like bee-eaters, swallows, and swifts take frequent dives to clean and cool themselves in the warm climate. But this maneuver is more risky than it seems; the birds must maintain sufficient momentum throughout submergence to become airborne again and avoid drowning.

Kingfisher

Photograph by Torben Andersen
One morning in September, the kingfisher arrived on the branch with a fresh fish. The kingfisher smashed the fish against the branch at high speed to kill it. After the kill, the fish was eaten and the kingfisher left for another one. Shot in a local lake in Denmark.

Kingfisher Flying

Photograph by Torben Andersen
One early morning in August, the kingfisher I spotted left the tree and went up in the air over the lake, looking over the lake for a fish. This time with the front toward the sun and me, I took my shots. This is one of them.

Yellow-Billed Hornbill

Photograph by Karl Daniels
Yellow-billed hornbill from Kruger National Park in South Africa. I had a fun-filled week with shots of African buffalo, elephant, and cheetah.

Cuckoo

Photograph by Chuck Koenecke
I had tried without success to get close enough for a good shot of this beautiful cuckoo and was just switching to a longer lens when suddenly he flew right into my lap! Luckily, I didn't fall over and was able to snap this quick shot before he flew off.

Indian Ringneck Parrot

Photograph by Mikaela Fox
This is a shot taken on my patio of my male Indian ringneck parrot, Baby.

Nuttall’s Woodpecker

Photograph by Iryna Dronova
The woodpeckers apparently broaden their menu from insects that actually live in the wood to delicious offerings of the fruit trees. This seems to be a female Nuttall's woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii) feeding on a ripe pear. The photo was taken in Oakland, California, in November 2009.

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Special Photography/Waterbirds

 Black Skimmer

Photograph by Mario Goren, My Shot

Common Tern

Photograph by James Galletto, My Shot

Seagulls Feeding

Photograph by Dale Williamson, My Shot

Swimming Pelicans

Photograph by Arnou Kunz, My Shot

Fishing Pelican

Photograph by Roger Lee, My Shot

Snapping Pelican

Photograph by Ryan Kennedy, My Shot

Seabird With Fish

Photograph by Carly Saxon, My Shot

Blue-Footed Booby

Photograph by Daniel Gautreau, My Shot

Flying Puffin

Photograph by Richard Seeley, My Shot

Swimming Loon

Photograph by April Stampe, My Shot

Black-Browed Albatross

Photograph by Allan Hansen, My Shot

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Courtsey: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

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Special Photography/Songbird Photos

Blue Jays

Photograph by Jerry Smith

This was done on a cloudy, dreary kind of day using flash.

Scarlet Tanager
Photograph by Mark Lewer
A truly “wow” bird. A real treasure to have in your area.

Brown Shrike
Photograph by Ralf Nabong
This photo of the brown shrike (Lanius cristatus) shows a proud look after a successful landing on a bamboo pole. This was taken inside a pond at the University of the Philippines.

Pyrrhuloxia
Photograph by Tom Dietrich
Pyrrhuloxia in cactus

Cerulean Warbler
Photograph by Wil Hershberger

The heart of the breeding population of cerulean warblers occurs where mountaintop removal threatens the very existence of their breeding habitat and thus the future of this beautiful warbler. Neotropical migratory birds from warblers to sparrows are declining at alarming rates—rates that are not sustainable. Unless our culture sees these creatures as necessary, they will vanish into history, remembered only by photographs and paintings.

Japanese White-Eye
Photograph by Michael Lynch
Many parts of the world are celebrating the opening of cherry blossoms as the first sign of spring. Okinawa is the first place in all of Japan to see them bloom. This photo of a bird (Japanese white-eye) in the cherry blossoms was taken January 19, 2009, using a handheld Pentax K10D with a Sigma 50-500mm lens.

Lark
Photograph by Kishor Gumaste
The larks are very interesting and hardworking birds. I admire them for their camouflage and courage with which they defend their nests and raise their young against all odds. Even though they are not colorful, the patterns are beautiful. Overall a very beautiful bird. 

Sparrows
Photograph by Andrew Dillon
A pack of sparrows pick anxiously at a cupcake wrapper in New York City. Picture taken in a chess-playing park across the street from Magnolia Bakery (where the cupcake was purchased).

Thrasher
Photograph by Harry Taylor
Thrasher eyeballing organ pipe cactus fruit

American Goldfinch
Photograph by Phillip Woodward
This golden finch is one of a flock feeding in this patch. 

White-Cheeked Bulbuls
Photograph by Behzad Farahanchi
Spring 2008, Tehran. White-cheeked bulbul feeds her/his juveniles.

American Robin
Photograph by Mark Lewer
Early robin and late snow

Tree Swallow
Photograph by Kathrine Lloyd
I was walking the loop trail at my favorite birding location in Seattle and thought I'd stop near the nest boxes to see if any of the tree swallows were actually using them. I walked past several that appeared vacant and just for fun, I said, "Anybody home?” This tree swallow appeared and looked at me as if he was saying, "Who wants to know?"

Purple Sunbird
Photograph by Md Abdul Hakim
This is a purple sunbird, and I took this picture from Chittagong in Bangladesh. For this picture, I took about 30 minutes. Camera was D80, and lens was 400mm, 2.8. I love this picture; here I can feel the freedom of flight.

Sparrow Singing
Photograph by Wes Allen
Upon reaching the ruins, I quickly deviated from the tour group and set out on my own. I followed this bird around for about a half hour before getting close enough to get this photo. Immediately after I took the shot, a tour group scared him away.

Honeyeater
Photograph by Casey Argall

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(CREDIT: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC)

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