Bloodthirsty by Thomas P. Peschak, Germany/South Africa — winner, Behaviour: birds. When rations run short on Wolf Island, in the remote northern Galápagos, the sharp-beaked ground finches become vampires. Their sitting targets are Nazca boobies and other large birds. The finches rely on a scant diet of seeds and insects, which regularly dries up, so they drink blood to survive. ‘I’ve seen more than half a dozen finches drinking from a single Nazca booby,’ says Tom. Rather than leave their nests the boobies tolerate the vampires, and the blood loss doesn’t seem to cause permanent harm. (Photo by Thomas P. Peschak/2018 Wildlife Photographer of the Year)

A protester gestures during a “Yellow vest” protest against higher fuel prices during clashes on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, France, November 24, 2018. (Photo by Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

PH Sport's driver Sebastian Loeb races against an airplane during a performance act at the Peru Dakar Rally in Lima, Peru on January 5, 2019. (Photo by Carlos Jasso/Reuters)

Lush green rice terraces sprawl over 2,200 hectares of mountainside ready to be harvested. These stunning images, captured by photographer Saravut Whanset, show the incredible terraces throughout the course of the day, including at sunrise and sunset. Workers tend to the fields, with each terrace between 1 and 1.5 metres wide, while wooden huts stand on stilts on the mountainside. The beautiful panoramic pictures were taken in Mu Cang Chai, Vietnam, with the fields located at the foot of the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, 1,000 metres above sea level. (Photo by Saravut Whanset/Solent News and Photo Agency)

A model presents a creation from the “Remembranzas y Colores” collection by Mexican designer Carlos Pineda with textures and prints honouring Mexico, during the first day of the 76th edition of Intermoda in Guadalajara, state of Jalisco, Mexico, on January 18, 2022. (Photo by Ulises Ruiz/AFP Photo)

A man dressed as Pothuraju, a mythical character, performs rituals during the Bonalu festival in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, June 30, 2022. Bonalu is a month-long Hindu folk festival of the Telangana region dedicated to Kali, the Hindu goddess of destruction. (Photo by Mahesh Kumar A./AP Photo)

Blake Perkins #16 of the Milwaukee Brewers gets dunked with Gatorade after the Brewers defeated the Boston Red Sox at American Family Field on April 22, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

A supporter of presidential candidate and former chairman of the NATO Military Committee and Czech Army General Petr Pavel hands out leaflets, ahead of a direct presidential election that will start on January 13, in Prague, Czech Republic on January 5, 2023. (Photo by David W. Cerny/Reuters)