Adult spotted shags (Phalacrocorax punctatus) in flight in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand, Pacific

Flock of swifts flying to their roost behind the curtain of falling water of Kaieteur Falls, Guyana, South America

Golden eagle in flight over snow covered field, Finland, Europe

Golden eagle in flight over snow covered field, Finland, Europe

Coastal cliffs with a sea stack, lush greenery, and North Sea waters under a clear sky, Flamborough, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Golden eagle in flight over snow covered field, Finland, Europe

Historic medieval Soutomaior Castle (Castelo de Soutomaior), Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain, Europe

Impala (Aepyceros melampus), Shompole, Kenya, East Africa, Africa

Scenic view of white chalk cliffs and green hills along the coastline under a cloudy sky at Seven Sisters, South Downs National Park, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Greater painted-snipe (Rostratula benghalensis), Zimanga game reserve, South Africa, Africa

Scenic view of white chalk cliffs with lush greenery overlooking a calm blue sea, Flamborough, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

A lone deer with antlers grazing on a lush green field, United Kingdom, Europe

Coastal landscape with rugged cliffs, green vegetation, and a view of the ocean under a cloudy sky at Durdle Door, Jurassic Coast, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Dorset, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Elegant white swan gliding on serene blue water with a clear reflection and soft lighting, United Kingdom, Europe

Little egret (Egretta garzetta) female in flight, Chobe National Park, Botswana, Africa

African skimmers (Rynchops flavirostris) at sunset, Chobe National Park, Botswana, Africa

Colorful male pheasant bird walking on grassy field with fallen leaves, United Kingdom, Europe

Dramatic sky over historic city street with classic architecture and warm sunlight in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Tawny eagle (Aquila rapax) in flight, Kgalagadi transfrontier park, South Africa, Africa

Pied kingfishers (Ceryle rudis), Chobe National Park, Botswana, Africa

Black crake (Zapornia flavirostra), Zimanga game reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

African skimmer (Rynchops flavirostris) at sunset, Chobe National Park, Botswana, Africa

African darter (Anhinga rufa), Chobe National Park, Botswana, Africa

Lesser flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor), Amboseli National Park, Kenya, East Africa, Africa

Striated heron (Butorides striata, Zimanga game reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) in beautiful scenery, Salisbury Plain, South Georgia, Antarctica

King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) in beautiful scenery, Salisbury Plain, South Georgia, Antarctica, Polar Regions

Stork at Hisagoike Pond in summer, Kenrokuen, one of Japan's three most beautiful landscape gardens, Kanazawa, Japan, Asia

Adult Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus albididorsalis) in flight at breeding colony on Ile des Oiseaux, Parc National du Delta du Saloum, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Senegal, West Africa, Africa

Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) foraging for small pink shrimp in saltwater lagoon in the Galapagos Islands, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

View of seagull from ferry at sunset, Kavala, Dimos Kavalas, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Gulf of Thasos, Gulf of Kavala, Greece, Europe

Bartolome Island with Pinnacle Rock, a volcanic plug, to the right, the location featured in the 2003 film Master and Commander, Galapagos islands, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

Couple of Great black-backed gulls in the cliffs of Etretat, Seine Maritime department, Normandy region, France, Europe

Adult great skua (Stercorarius skua) with recent kill in the Svalbard Archipelago, Norway, Arctic, Europe

Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) foraging for small pink shrimp in saltwater lagoon in the Galapagos Islands, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

An Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica), in Borgarfjaroarhofn, Iceland, Polar Regions

Adult red-footed booby (Sula sula) head detail in the Galapagos Island Archipelago, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

Gentoo penguins on iceberg, Antarctica, Polar Regions

Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica), on Skomer Island in July, a nature reserve off the coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom, Europe

Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus) perching on branch by Lake Sandoval, Tambopata National Reserve, Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, Peru, South America

Adult black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) resting on ice in the Svalbard Archipelago, Barents Sea, Norway, Arctic, Europe

Adult red-footed booby (Sula sula) returning to the nest site with nest building material in the Galapagos Islands, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ecuador, South America

Heermann's gull (Larus heermanni), in flight above the beach at Isla Carmen, Baja California Sur, Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America

Natural arch in Puerto Refugio on the northern end of Angel de la Guarda Island, Baja California, Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America

Gannet flying near Noss Island, Shetland, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

Cormorants, Northeast branch of the Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, Chile, South America

Monument in memory of departed sailors, Horn island, Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, Chile, South America

Brown booby (Sula leucogaster), in flight off small islet north of Isla San Marcos, Baja California Sur, Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America

A male hooded oriole (Icterus cucullatus), in courtship, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America

Beautiful sunbird (Cinnyris pulchella), male, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Serengeti, Tanzania, East Africa, Africa

A bevy of mute swans in Windsor, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Taj Mahal, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, South Asia, Asia

Volendam street with traditional Dutch houses, Volendam, North Holland, The Netherlands, Europe

Adult brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), taking flight on a small islet near Isla Salsipuedes, Baja California, Mexico, North America

Ostriches (Struthio camelus), Nxai Pan National Park, Botswana, Africa

Adult elegant tern (Thalasseus elegans), looking for fish on Isla Carmen, Baja California Sur, Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America

Adult elegant tern (Thalasseus elegans), looking for fish on Isla Carmen, Baja California Sur, Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America

Cactus cover a small islet in Bahia las Animas at sunrise, Baja California, Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America

Information board about birds in the lagoon of s'Albufera des Grau Natural Park, Menorca, Balearic Islands, Spain, Mediterranean, Europe

A snowy egret (Egretta thula), fishing in the shallows, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America

Eared grebes (Podiceps nigricollis), in Puerto Refugio, Angel de la Guarda Island, Baja California, Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America

Sun halo behind the dome of Hagia Sophia Mosque, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Istanbul, Turkey, Europe

Adult black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys), pair in courtship display at nesting site on New Island, Falklands, South America

Double-crested cormorant (Nannopterum auritum), taking flight, Concepcion Bay, Baja California Sur, Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America

A pair of hooded orioles (Icterus cucullatus), in courtship, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America

Adult brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis), on a small islet near Isla San Marcos, Baja California, Mexico, North America

Seabirds Tropicbirds, Pajaros Islet (Swan's Cay off the coast of Boca del Drago on Colon Island, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Republic of Panama, Central America

Perito Moreno Glacier, UNESCO World Heritage Site, around El Calafate, Santa Cruz province, Patagonia, Argentina, South America

Pilgrim at Pushkar Lake at Sunset, Pushkar, Rajasthan, India, South Asia, Asia

Adult elegant tern (Thalasseus elegans), plunge diving for fish on Isla Carmen, Baja California Sur, Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America

Magdalena Island, Magallanes Region, Punta Arenas, Chile, South America

Bronze-winged jacana (metopidius indicus) in its natural habitat, Poovar Island, Kerala, India, Asia

The tui, a beautiful mockingbird-like songbird, at Tiritiri Matangi island sanctuary, Hauraki Gulf, North Island, New Zealand, Pacific

Boat trip on the Chagres River, Republic of Panama, Central America

Pilgrims at Pushkar Lake at sunrise, Pushkar, Rajasthan, India, South Asia, Asia

Guadalupe fur seals (Arctocephalus townsendi), at new haul out on Las Animas Island, Baja California Sur, Sea of Cortez, Mexico, North America

Magdalena Island, Magallanes Region, Punta Arenas, Chile, South America

Majestic peacock displaying vibrant blue and green plumage, with a blurred green background at Kew Gardens, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Dry desert seashore of Iquique, Atacama desert, Chile, South America

The tui, a beautiful mockingbird-like songbird, at Tiritiri Matangi island sanctuary, Hauraki Gulf, North Island, New Zealand, Pacific

Sunrise on Magdalena Island, Magallanes Region, Punta Arenas, Chile, South America

The tui, a beautiful mockingbird-like songbird, at Tiritiri Matangi island sanctuary, Hauraki Gulf, North Island, New Zealand, Pacific

Female mallard and ducklings on the edge of Lusiai Lake at Paluse, Aukstaitija National Park, Lithuania, Europe

Florisuga mellivora (White-necked Jacobin) hovering, Soberania National Park, Republic of Panama, Central America

Mountains in the Agositini Fjord near Aguila glacier, Tierra del Fuego, Chile, South America

Canoe trip with swans on Lake Srovinaitis around Ginuciai, Aukstaitija National Park, Lithuania, Europe

Beautiful sunbird (Cinnyris pulchella), male, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Serengeti, Tanzania, East Africa, Africa

Beautiful sunbird (Cinnyris pulchella), female, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Serengeti, Tanzania, East Africa, Africa

Fishermen and wading birds at beautiful Kizhunna Beach, south of Kannur on the Kerala north coast, Kizhunna, Kannur, Kerala, India, Asia

Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) breeding colony at Dorian Bay, Antarctica, Polar Regions

Beautiful sunbird (Cinnyris pulchella), female, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Serengeti, Tanzania, East Africa, Africa

Beautiful sunbird (Cinnyris pulchella), female, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Serengeti, Tanzania, East Africa, Africa

Scenic view of a house on West Point, a beautiful, quaint pristine place that only has two residents, Falkland Islands, South America

An adult Galapagos dove (Zenaida galapagoensis) in beautiful breeding plumage on Espanola Island in the Galapagos Island Archipelago, Ecuador

An adult Galapagos dove (Zenaida galapagoensis) in beautiful breeding plumage on Espanola Island in the Galapagois Island Archipelago, Ecuador, Pacific Ocean

Adleie penguins leaping in front of a beautiful Iceberg at Heroina Island in the Weddell sea, Antarctica.

An adult Galapagos dove (Zenaida galapagoensis) in beautiful breeding plumage on Espanola Island in the Galapagois Island Archipelago, Ecuador, Pacific Ocean

White / Fairy tern (Gygis alba) resting on branch. Bird Island, Seychelles, Indian Ocean (A4 only).

Sunset from the stern of the Lindblad Expeditions ship National Geographic Sea Bird in Lynn Canal, Southeast Alaska, USA.

Aerial view of Punta Allen Sian Ka'an Reserve, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Red lagoon near Boca Paila Bridge. In the language of the Mayan peoples who once inhabited this region, Sian Ka'an means Origin of the Sky. Located on the east coast of the Yucatán peninsula, this biosphere reserve contains tropical forests, mangroves and marshes, as well as a large marine section intersected by a barrier reef. It provides a habitat for a remarkably rich flora and a fauna comprising more than 300 species of birds, as well as a large number of the region's characteristic terrestrial vertebrates, which cohabit in the diverse environment formed by its complex hydrological system. Along its roughly 120 kilometres of coastline, the property covers over 400,000 hectares of land ranging from sea level to only ten m.a.s.l. The property boasts diverse tropical forests, palm savannah, one of the most pristine wetlands in the region, lagoons, extensive mangrove stands, as well as sandy beaches and dunes. The 120,000 hectares of marine area protect a valuable part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and seagrass beds in the shallow bays. The lush green of the forests and the many shades of blue of the lagoons and the Caribbean Sea under a wide sky offer fascinating visual impressions.