23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Wildlife
The Last Gasp

A Belted kingfisher violently shakes its catch to disorient and subdue it before attempting to swallow it head-first while on an afternoon hunt at Huntley Meadows Wetlands in Virginia.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2025
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Alexandria, Virginia, United States of America
Camera: NIKON Z 9
Copyright: © Parameswaran Ponnudurai