The week in wildlife – in pictures

A vine climbs along the bark of a tree in the Karura forest in Nairobi, Kenya

For the first time in decades, bald eagles have been found nesting in a saguaro cactus in Arizona, US. Kenneth ‘Tuk’ Jacobson, the Arizona game and fish department’s coordinator of raptor management, called the find ‘amazing’. According to Jacobson, the last known mention of such a sighting was in 1937

Grass pollen wafts in a pasture on a farm near Elkton in rural western Oregon, US. According to the allergy tracker on Weather.com, grass and tree pollen levels are currently high on the west coast and in the south central and south-eastern portion of the US

Hatchlings look out of a nest on a cacay crop plantation at Arles farm in Puerto Gaitan, Colombia

Purple herons during breeding season in the Wagbachniederung nature reserve in Waghausel, near Karlsruhe in Germany. The Wagbachniederung is an important breeding and resting place in Europe for birds

The sun begins to rise through trees as bluebells bloom in the Hallerbos forest in Halle, Belgium. Bluebells are particularly associated with ancient woodlands where they can dominate the forest floor

Nemophila flowers at Hitachi Seaside Park in Hitachinaka, Japan. The park has been closed to the public since 4 April to prevent the spread of coronavirus

A jackal looks out from the bushes at HaYarkon Park in Tel Aviv, Israel. With the city in lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis, the sprawling park is all but empty. This has cleared the way for packs of jackals to take over this urban oasis in the heart of the city as they search for food

An injured right whale calf swims alongside its mother about 8 miles off the coast of Georgia, US. Conservationists said the newborn whale was suffering from deep cuts on either side of its head. There are so few
North Atlantic right whales left in the world’s oceans – estimates hover around 400 – that many are known to the scientists who devote their careers to saving them

A fruit bat eats lettuce as it hangs from a rope during a behind-the-scenes interactive live stream from Oakland zoo in California, US, which remains closed to the public

A silvery-brown tamarin monkey in Medellin, Colombia

Ducks in a fountain almost outnumber people at Trafalgar Square in London, UK, as people stay home during the Covid-19 lockdown. From coyotes in San Francisco to deer in Romford,
animals are taking over streets vacated by people

Scientists exploring the deep sea off Australia have discovered as many as 30 new marine species – and what may be the longest animal ever seen: a siphonophore measuring an estimated 46 metres (150ft).
Siphonophores are deep-sea predators made up of many small clones that act together as one and spread out like a single long string in the water. Researchers think this particular siphonophore may be the longest ever found

A leopard seal patrols the ice while penguins huddle for safety out of the water in Antarctica. Ocean photographers of all disciplines and experience levels – amateurs and professionals alike – are invited to
submit their most impactful imagery for the Ocean Photography awards

Concrete models of
African penguins in De Hoop nature reserve, South Africa, intended to attract penguins to nest

European rabbits near Tiszaalpar, Hungary

For many species in the animal kingdom, self-isolation is not a new concept. It is in their instinct.
From land mammals to ocean species, many choose to live in solitude outside of essential activity: to eat and to breed like this jaguar, photographed with a camera trap deep inside the Nouragues nature reserve in French Guiana

An Israeli woman and her son watch wild boar roaming a street in Haifa, Israel

A white-bellied
pangolin that was rescued from animal traffickers is seen at the Uganda Wildlife Authority office in Kampala, Uganda

Despite stringent lockdown measures as New Zealand battles Covid-19,
five juvenile shore plovers – or tuturuatu – were flown from captivity in Christchurch to the remote, predator-free Mana Island off the coast of Wellington on Saturday. Nick Fisentzidis, a Department of Conservation ranger, seen here with his son, has remained as caretaker and manager on Mana Island with his family. They are self-isolating together as well as caring for the local animals

Two pied kingfishers rest on a branch in Xindian Town, Fuzhou, south-eastern China

A squirrel runs across a fence as the sun shines in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district