Ken Butler, Pelican Gliding the Murray (ANIMALS 2026)

An Australian Pelican, with its wide wingspan on display, is gliding through warm late autumn light along a South Australian stretch of the Murray River. The big bird was keeping pace with the cruise boat I was on and rarely needed to flap its wings to keep up with us, so skilful was it.

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