Photographer Takes Bird Portraits And The Results Are Sublime (25 Pics)

Photographer Tim Flach has three goldfish and two Burmese cats. The latter, Hunt and Blue, eagerly keep their owner company while he works, even though they would probably gladly devour some of his subjects.

Flach is known for his striking portraits, where animals are treated with the same care as any human model. The photographer has captured both wild and domesticated animals, but whether he places them against a plain background or meets them in their natural habitat, Flach always manages to highlight their unique appearance.

This time, we're focusing on his bird photos, but if you want to learn more about his magnificent work, check out Flach's books Endangered and More Than Human.

More info: timflach.com | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

#1 Blue Tit

Blue Tits are a common sight at bird tables in the U.K. Researchers found that the British put double the food in bird feeders than our European neighbours, which they believe is contributing to some bird species developing longer beaks.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#2 Northern Red Cardinal

Northern red cardinals are adept songsters, with individuals being able to produce more than a dozen song variations. This particular cardinal had a fair bit of attitude, as though he could have flown straight out of Angry Birds.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#3 Inca Tern

This for me, is the Salvador Dali of the bird world. When it comes to the length of the Peruvian Inca tern’s moustache, longer is healthier. A longer moustache indicates a stronger immune system and therefore a more attractive proposition for courtship.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#4 Jacobin Pigeon

The Jacobins are one of the oldest domestic pigeon breeds in the world, originating from India. Their arrival in Europe during the 16th Century is what sparked their evolution into the fashionable exhibition birds we see today.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#5 Longtail Broadbill

This long-tailed broadbill can be found from the Himalayas to South East Asia. He reminds me of a fighter pilot - but a lot of you seem to think he looks like Elvis - with his helmet-like black cap and sleek blue patch on their crown.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#6 Silver Laced Polish Chicken

Image credits: timflachphotography

#7 The Himalayan Monal

The Himalayan Monal is the national bird of Nepal.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#8 Black Jacobin Pigeon

The Jacobin received its European name because it’s hood of feathers resembles the garments worn by the Jacobin order of monks. For others it resembles a lady in feathery clothing.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#9 Major Mitchell

The beautiful crest on the heads of cockatoos is one of the things that sets them apart from other parrots. However, they share the longevity of many members of the parrot family, and have a very similar life span to humans.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#10 Victoria Crowned Pigeon

The Victoria Crowned Pigeon is considered the largest of the living pigeon species, and can be found on mainland New Guinea. The only larger member of the pigeon family would have been the Dodo.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#11 This Silver-Laced Rooster

This Silver-Laced rooster has come to symbolise, in Polish literature and art, a country gentleman from medieval Poland. I took this photograph at the Federation Championship Poultry Show last week.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#12 The Philippine Eagle

I spend days travelling through the Mountains on the Philippine islands looking for this eagle, and in the end I photographed it at a rescue sanctuary. The Philippine Eagle has one of the largest wing spans of any eagle, at 2 metres, and is only found on the Philippine islands, where it is the national bird. IUCN: Critically Endangered

Image credits: timflachphotography

#13 The Toco Toucan

The Toco Toucan’s bill is the largest relative to body size of any bird and it can be used to regulate heat distribution similar to elephants ears. While sleeping, heat loss can be reduced by placing their bill under their wing.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#14 The Grey Crowned Crane

The Grey Crowned Crane, from Southern and Eastern Africa, has a reputation for being rather short tempered and can potentially take ones eye out with a single peck. When he started pecking at my camera and seemed intent to start on me, I didn’t hang around!

Image credits: timflachphotography

#15 Vultrurine Guineafowl Hen

Vultrurine Guineafowl hens can lay up to 40 eggs per season - this might be one of the reasons that this bird is not a threatened species! They are found in the bushy half-deserts of Eastern Africa and spend most of their time running rather than flying.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#16 Shoebill

Image credits: timflachphotography

#17 The Gouldian Finch

The Gouldian finch from Australia for me is one of the most colourful of all finches. I was fortunate to have a model on the day that permitted me to come so close, sometimes times too close, as it decided to land on my head a number of times rather than to stay on his perch.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#18 Bearded Tit

Bearded tits are the only British songbird to stay and breed in reed beds all year round. There are less than 600 breeding pairs of bearded tits found in Britain, most likely because they are limited by habitat, building their nests low down in the reeds. A group of bearded tits is called a ‘banditry’.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#19 Red Splash Jacobin Pigeon

The Jacobin’s probably the most regal pigeon, having been kept by the likes of Charles Darwin and Queen Victoria. It gets its name because of the hood of feathers enveloping it’s head.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#20 Crested Miniature Duck

This domestic duck is a Crested Miniature. Comb-like structures around the edge of their beak allow them to strain through the mud for food such as insects.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#21 The Nicobar Pigeon

The Nicobar Pigeon is the closest living relative to the Dodo. They are a threatened species hunted for food and their gizzard stones are extracted for jewellery. They are a nomadic species moving from places like the Nicobar islands in India to other coastal regions in Southeast Asia.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#22 Egyptian Vulture

Image credits: timflachphotography

#23 Andean Cock Of The Rock

During breeding male Cock-of-the-rock take part in “confrontation displays” which is rather like a dance battle with other males which gets more and more frenzied as the female approaches.

Image credits: timflachphotography

#24 The King Vulture

The Mayans once believed that the King vulture was the messenger between gods and people. Contrary to the common association between vultures and deserts, the King vulture inhabits the dense forests found in South America up to Mexico!

Image credits: timflachphotography

#25 Hooded Vulture

Image credits: timflachphotography