Denise M Lawry, Swallow-tailed Gull (Animal 2020)

I captured the images of these Swallow-tailed Gulls on South Plaza Island in the Galapagos Islands. These large, graceful black and white gulls are the only nocturnal gulls in the world, nesting on beaches, rocky edges and cliffs. The red ring around the eye helps the birds locate their prey more precisely at night. They are the only gull to have white young and this may also help to locate their progeny when returning to the nest site.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.