Birds need to eat a lot to survive—a lot. All that flying around, foraging, and attracting a mate requires loads of energy, after all. For many birds, staying fueled up can mean eating anywhere from 5 percent to 35 percent of their body weight in food on a daily basis. Hummingbirds can eat a staggering 100 percent of their own bodyweight in nectar alone. Not even Joey Chestnut can compete with that kind of consumption.
While some birds are pickier than others, the variety of foods avians eat is diverse, and there is no better reminder of that than sifting through the submissions for the Audubon Photography Awards every year. For the 2018 awards, fish, frogs, and lizards were all on the menu, as were starfish, sea urchin, and even duck. Below is a gallery of some of our favorite shots of birds and their meals. And if you haven't seen the 2018 APA winners or Top 100 images yet, be sure to check those out next.
To learn more about the species featured here, be sure to check out our online Audubon Bird Guide or download our free Audubon Bird Guide app.
