A Nip to the Tail | Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Hira Punjabi’s Image

Hira Punjabi (India) witnesses a rose-ringed parakeet delivering a painful nip to the tail of a Bengal monitor.

Hira was in Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan, following this Bengal monitor lizard for four days.

As it investigated a tree cavity for birds’ eggs or chicks, it was mobbed by up to 12 parakeets at a time.

Rose-ringed parakeets are native to the Indian subcontinent and equatorial Africa.

They’ve been introduced around the world as pets, and feral populations now thrive in cities across Europe, North America and Japan.

They compete vigorously with native birds and bats for nest-holes.