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Oliver Richter's Image
Oliver camouflaged his camera close to an ant nest before retreating with the wireless remote. A pair of Eurasian wrynecks approached and began unearthing pupae in their pale cocoons, feeding them tirelessly to their hungry young nearby. Oliver captured the precise moment one bird retrieved a pupa on the tip of its sticky tongue.
Eurasian wrynecks are a type of woodpecker, but instead of powerful bills to make holes in wood, these birds have shorter, more slender beaks suited to plucking. They use their incredibly long tongues to pick out pupae and ants from deep holes or underground and are armed with a sticky saliva.
Behind the lens
Oliver Richter
Germany
Oliver is an enthusiastic wildlife photographer and is passionate about the nature surrounding his home.
Image details
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III
- 17–40mm f4 lens at 24mm
- 1/1000 sec at f10 • ISO 800 • Yongnuo remote trigger
- Grimma, Saxony, Germany
Copyright in Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition photographs remains the property of the respective photographers. You may not copy, share, reproduce or republish the photographs except as expressly permitted by copyright law. For media image usage enquiries, please contact us.
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