Rival kings - Andy Rouse - Wildlife Photographer of the Year2006

2006: Behaviour: Birds - Highly Commended

Andy Rouse Enlarge image Rival kings

Andy Rouse (UK)

Rival kings

Christmas morning on the Falkland Islands, in the South Atlantic Ocean, was bright and beautiful. 'On the beach I met this squabbling threesome,' says Andy, 'and ended up spending four hours with them, as their antics made me laugh so much'. The penguin on the left is the female. The two males are squabbling over her by slapping each other with their flippers. 'Kings are such cool penguins,' adds Andy, 'but it's the emperors who get all the media attention by hanging out in winter blizzards for months on end. The kings are far more active, though, and therefore much more interesting to photograph.'

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II with 24-70mm lens; 1/60 sec at f4; 200 ISO.