Teenager in the frame for photography award

This is one of the highlights of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

The photograph of the night griffon, a vulture, by a Russian teenager, was highly commended by judges.

Taken by Safie Al Khaffaf, it depicts a bird found across Spain, pockets of France and Italy, the Balkans and the Middle East and Central Asia.

The scavenger, which normally feeds on carrion, breeds on crags in mountains.

The image is one of the contenders for the 44th year of the competition. Tickets for the exhibition of the competition, at the Natural History Museum, go on sale today. It opens on 31 October, the day after the winner of the contest is announced.