An adult male Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) perches on a "No Fishing" sign while holding a fish in its beak
Joe Petersburger, a National Geographic photographer based in Hungary, won the first prize in the Nature Singles category of the World Press Photo contest for this picture of a hunting kingfisher. Here, we look at more of his fantastic kingfisher shots
The kingfisher plunges straight down into its reflection in the calm water
A male emerges from the water with a Common Roach (Rutilus rutilus). Since the birds' metabolism is very fast, they have to eat 60% of their bodyweight every day
Parents (mostly the male) must catch a lot of fish to satisfy the five to seven chicks...
Moreover, male kingfishers are polygamous, meaning they might have two or three wives, each with her own brood of chicks
A male holds a Topmouth Gudgeon in his beak, destined for the chicks. If the kingfisher gives the fish away, the head is always held at the front to avoid fish fins sticking in the chicks' throats
A male feeds chicks in the nesting chamber at the end of a 3-5 feet long tunnel. While they wait for food, chicks form a circle. Once the chick receives a fish, the circle rotates by one chick so they all receive the same amount of food
A freshly-caught fish struggles to get free. Kingfishers shake their prey and hit the heads of the fish against their perch to kill them and break their bones
A male shakes off water from his head
An adult male Common Kingfisher is reflected in the water as it dives in to catch fish
He emerges from the water empty-handed after an unsuccessful dive
A female kingfisher flies towards the nest with a fish for the chicks
Joe Petersburger's camera freezes the bird as it speeds towards the water
He perches on a twig with an Agile Frog (Rana dalmatina) in his bill
A male perches on a twig over the surface of the water at sunset and holds a fish he caught as food for the chicks
A male kingfisher perches on a can filled with fish (presumably a photographer's prop - or a reward for providing him with so many amazing shots)
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