A recently hatched baby Egret bird seen in a nest at the Gatorland Bird Rookery in Kissimmee, Florida on March 17, 2022. Gatorland is known as The Alligator Capital of the World and has a 10 acre natural bird rookery. (Photo by Ronen Tivony/SOPA Images/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

The Malabar Giant squirrel – double the size of their grey relatives and measuring up to 36 inches (91.5 cm) from head to tail – lives deep in the forests of India. The athletic animals can leap an incredible 20 feet (6 m) between trees. Photographer Kaushik Vijayan, 39, snapped the animals in their native habit to produce these stunning images. Kaushik, from Kerala State, India, said: “Up until that point I had never heard about a squirrel like that or seen one. The sight was an absolute feast for my eyes. The squirrels fascinated me and I got excited to capture this beauty on my camera”. (Photo by Kaushik Vijayan/South West News Service)

The National Geographic Photo Ark is a travelling exhibition of photographer Joel Sartore’s quest to create a photo archive of biodiversity around the world. So far, Sartore has captured studio portraits of more than 6,000 species – a number that he hopes to double. On 1 July, the ark will open at Melbourne zoo – the first time it has been exhibited in the southern hemisphere. More than 50 portraits will be on display, including many of Australian endangered animals being protected by programs at the zoo itself. These captions have been edited from text supplied by Melbourne zoo. Here: Barking owl. (Photo by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark/The Guardian)

An undated handout photo obtained on May 14, 2022, from Khartoum's Marshall Nature Reserve for exotic birds, shows a visitor posing for pictures with some of the protected birds in the capital Khartoum. Tucked away east of Sudan's capital Khartoum, a sanctuary of lush green vegetation has been a haven for dozens of exotic birds from far and wide. (Photo by Khartoum Marshall Nature Reserve/AFP Photo)

An American robin feeds on holly berries in a thicket near Elkton in southwestern Oregon on November 16, 2024. Many birds can safely consume holly berries, including blackbirds, redwings, and thrushes. There is an old wives tale that if you see a bird eating a berry, it is safe for humans to eat, but this is not true. Birds consume many plants that are poisonous to humans, holly berries included. (Photo by Robin Loznak/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Children feeding the birds in this Victorian Christmas greetings card. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images). Circa 1885

Birds sit on the back of a zebra in the Nairobi National Park, near Nairobi, Kenya, November 21, 2018. (Photo by Baz Ratner/Reuters)

Birds made of recycled tires are displayed in a shop located on the Panamerican highway near Catarina town, May 7, 2015. Salazar recycles used tyres to make bird figurines and sofas to sell in his shop located on the Panamerican highway. (Photo by Oswaldo Rivas/Reuters)