A tern chick takes its first steps in the first decade of June 2024 at Nickerson Beach, New York, a common nesting location. (Photo by Suraj Ramamurthy/Solent News)

An Orangutan named Elze walks in the Biopark of Rio during a media tour in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, March 18, 2021. The park was closed to the public for renovations to convert the city zoo into a center for biodiversity conservation and will reopen to the general public at the end of March. (Photo by Bruna Prado/AP Photo)

A golden pheasant is seen at Hangzhou Safari Park in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, November 13, 2016. According to local media, the pheasant gains popularity as its golden feathers resemble the hairstyle of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

The hare was actually yawning and stretching but, looking back at the photos, it does look like it was laughing — probably at my husband and I as we had been sat there in the freezing conditions for about five hours just waiting for this kind of behaviour in Cairngorms, Scotland in the last decade of February 2025. (Photo by Michelle Coyle/Solent News & Photo Agency)

“These dolly birds are showing off the latest haute COO-ture in a stunning set of images that portray everyday pigeons as fashion models. The series, titled “Darwin’s Pigeons”, was snapped by British photographer Richard Bailey, who was looking to capture the birds’ photogenic side as a tribute to the Father of Evolution himself, who it is believed was fascinated by the birds”. – Caters News. Photo: Old Dutch Capucine. Darwin’s Pigeons series. (Photo by Photo by Richard Bailey/Caters News)

Second Place Winner: “Thunderstorm at False Kiva”. I hiked out to these ruins at night hoping to photograph them with the Milky Way, but instead a thunderstorm rolled through, creating this dramatic image. – Max Seigal. National Geographic Traveler Director of Photography Dan Westergren, one of this year's judges, shares his thoughts on the second place winner: “This photo combines two different scenes into one: the small kiva in a cliff dwelling and the grand vista of Canyonlands National Park across the valley. I really like the two different color palettes – warm inside and purple outside. This two-for-one scene was caused by the lightning storm outside the dwelling, which lit up the landscape like it was a huge electronic flash. Looking at this picture I can imagine what a wonderful sight it must have been for the ancient people who lived here. It doesn't seem too amazing now in our modern world, but might have been mind-blowing for the prehistoric residents”. Location: Utah. (Photo and caption by Max Seigal/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

A zoo employee carries three-month-old female giant panda cub, born to mother Liang Liang and father Xing Xing, on display to the public for the first time at the national zoo in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 17, 2015. (Photo by Olivia Harris/Reuters)

Georgia Bulldogs cheerleaders celebrate at the conclusion of the Alabama Crimson Tide versus the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff National Championship, on January 10, 2022, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)