On this Earth Day, a day set aside to remember and appreciate the environment and our responsibilities and roles within it, I wanted to gather a selection of images of the incredibly diverse bird life that we share this planet with. Tens of billions of individual animals are divided among some 10,000 species, inhabiting nearly every environment on Earth. These fascinating creatures are at home on land, at sea, or in the sky, from our polar regions to the tropics. On a day meant for us to care for our environment, it seemed appropriate to feature some of those we share it with. A rufous-creste ..read more

Eid al-Fitr prayers in India, trophy winners at the Boston Marathon, the burning of a historic building in Denmark, a wildfire in Kosovo, widespread flooding in Russia, a joyous water festival in Thailand, a music festival in China, and much more A woman stands on a breakwater in China's southwestern city of Chongqing on April 13, 2024. ( AFP / Getty ..read more

The winning entries of the annual World Press Photo Contest ​have just been announced. This year, according to organizers, 61,062 images were submitted for judging, made by 3,851 photographers from 130 different countries. World Press Photo was once again kind enough to share some of this year’s global and regional winners, gathered below. Europe, Winner, Singles—A Father’s Pain: Mesut Hançer holds the hand of his 15-year-old daughter, Irmak, who died in the earthquake in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, the day after the 7.8-magnitude quake struck the country's southeast, on February 7, 2023. Rescuers ..read more

Crowds of music fans gathered once more in Indio, California, this weekend, for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, catching performances by Doja Cat, Jon Batiste, Vampire Weekend, Sabrina Carpenter, Lil Yachty, Gwen Stefani, Peso Pluma, Atarashii Gakko, the Aquabats, and many more artists. Gathered below are images of this year’s performances and concertgoers during the first weekend of Coachella 2024. Brittany Howard performs onstage at Coachella 2024 in Indio, California, on April 12, 2024. ( Emma McIntyre / Getty for Coachella ..read more

The World Coal Carrying Championships in England, damage from an earthquake in Taiwan, a destroyed hospital in the Gaza Strip, a beekeeper at work in Ukraine, cherry tree blossoms in Germany, an appearance of the Easter bunny at the White House, rally racing in Kenya, flooding in west-central France, and much more Dancers perform during auditions to become a Radio City Rockette at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 3, 2024. ( Brittainy Newman / AP ..read more

As much of North America prepares for the upcoming total solar eclipse next week, I thought it would be fun to share some images from the recent (and not-so-recent) past of previous eclipses—annular, partial, and total—from around the world. Also pictured are some of the many observers sharing this fleeting experience, “witnessing the planetary version of a lightning strike,” together in stadiums, parks, and beaches. Young people watch the rare sight of a partial solar eclipse at sunset, as seen from Manila Bay, Philippines, on January 26, 2009. ( Gil Nartea / AFP / Getty ..read more

A wildfire in Venezuela, cherry blossoms in eastern China, a deadly terrorist attack in Russia, a surf competition in Australia, Holy Week processions in Spain, a full moon above Istanbul, a vast solar power farm in Texas, and much more. An aerial view of the cargo vessel Dali, seen after it had crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse, in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024. ( Maryland National Guard / Reuters ..read more

The winning images and photographers of this year’s World Nature Photography Awards have just been announced. Contest organizers have once more shared some of the winning images, shown below, from their 14 categories. Captions were provided by the photographers and have been lightly edited for style and clarity. Third Place, Behavior—Mammals. Elephants reach for branches at Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe. (© Copyright Lukas Walter / World Nature Photography Awards ..read more

This week, Hindus around the world are celebrating Holi, the “festival of colors”—a springtime celebration where revelers throw brightly colored powders at friends and strangers alike. Participants gather to welcome the arrival of spring, commemorate Krishna’s pranks, and allow one another a chance to drop inhibitions and simply play and dance together. Gathered below are images of this year’s Holi festivals from Nepal, India, Pakistan, Kenya, and the U.S. Students play with colors ahead of Holi festival outside Mata Sundri College in New Delhi, India, on March 21, 2024. ( Raj K Raj / Hindust ..read more

A massive ballet class in Mexico City, the Night of Ghosts festival in Greece, severe tornado damage in Indiana, a garbage-strewn beach in Bali, airdrops of humanitarian aid over the Gaza Strip, a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Tokyo, a robot among tulips in the Netherlands, colorful Holi celebrations in India, and much more A man, dressed as the Hindu deity Sasthappan, performs during the traditional dance festival "Theyyam," also known as "Kaliyattam," at Muthappa Swami temple in Somwarpet, India, on March 18, 2024. ( Idrees Mohammed / AFP / Getty ..read more