The week in wildlife – in pictures

A snowy owl - normally a resident of the Arctic - has been spotted as far south as Florida, US. The coldest air in 20 years surged into large parts of the US this week as the polar vortex broke down and pushed cold Arctic air further south than normal Photograph: Will Dickey/AP

An adult shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) in Mabamba Bay, Uganda. The species can be found living in swamps in tropical east Africa from Sudan to Zambia. They are mostly silent and solitary birds, only coming together when food is scarce or to breed. Shoebills are classed as vulnerable due to poaching, regular burning of their swamp habitat and pressure from fishermen Photograph: Martin Hale/FLPA/REX/Martin Hale/FLPA/REX

A sea otter dozes happily, disguised as a lump of seaweed in Monterey, California Photograph: Michael Yang/Rex

Swans explore the Abbey Fields caravan park after the River Thames flooded on 8 January 2014 in Chersey, England. Parts of the United Kingdom are entering a third week of flooding and stormy conditions Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Frost forms on the branches of a tree as temperatures hovered around zero on Friday 3 January in Carmel, Indiana. According to the National Weather Service, the upper midwest, where some of the lowest temperatures are occurring, was more than 98% snow-covered Photograph: Michael Conroy/AP

A bee on blossom in Cologne, Germany. The disruption of the polar vortex has brought warmer weather and into many parts of Europe, confusing wildlife Photograph: Henning Kaiser/Corbis

A British wildlife photographer has captured stunning new shots of Africa using a homemade helicopter drone. Will Burrard-Lucas spent five months building and learning to fly the BeetleCopter before taking it out in the Serengeti in Tanzania. He was able to capture sweeping scenes of migrating wildebeest and antelope as well as intimate shots of giraffe and hyena Photograph: Will Burrard-Lucas/Barcroft Media

A red avadavat (right) and an Indian silverbill feed on grass seeds at the Okhla bird sanctuary in New Delhi, India. The species are similar in size and structure, with stubby bills, stocky bodies and long tails. In India, these finches are very popular in the illegal bird trade and also, with rapid urbanisation, these birds are fast losing their habitats. Experts say their numbers are dwindling Photograph: Ridhima Sikka/Barcroft India

White Siberian swans on Tamaoka Lake in Kasai, Japan. Siberian swans migrate from Russia to Japan, their wintering home, and are expected to return back to their homeland at the beginning of spring Photograph: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

Taxidermist Travis Perkins does some touch-up painting to an African elephant mount set up for the Dallas Safari Club Convention and Sporting Expo. The FBI is investigating death threats made against members of the Dallas hunting club that intends to auction off a rare permit to kill an endangered black rhino in Namibia, an FBI spokeswoman said. The group has said all proceeds will go toward rhino conservation efforts Photograph: Tom Fox/AP

China has destroyed several tons of confiscated ivory tusks and carvings. Officials in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, pulverised 6.1 tons of confiscated tusks and carvings in an event on Monday attended by representatives from 10 countries including the UK, and elephant states including Kenya, Gabon, and Tanzania Photograph: Vincent Yu/AP

A dead tiger in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China. According to local media, two men carrying a sack with the tiger raised police suspicions. Initial examination showed it was an adult Siberian tiger Photograph: China Daily/REUTERS

Divers swim with dozens of West Indian manatees as the animals congregate around a freshwater spring north of Tampa, Florida. Local temperatures dropped below freezing, redirecting the animals to the warm springs at the Crystal River national wildlife refuge Photograph: Matthew Beck/AP

A sengi (elephant shrew) investigates a swallowtail butterfly in the new nature series Hidden Kingdoms. The BBC is to air on-screen warnings that scenes were 'dramatised'. For the sake of the creatures and editorial reasons producers sometimes have to use controlled situations and film animals in captivity or in studios for detailed shots that cannot be done in the wild Photograph: NHU/BBC

The blood-stained deck of the Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru is pictured inside what Sea Shepherd Australia says is an internationally recognised whale sanctuary in this image dated 5 January 2014. Aerial footage released by the conservation group appeared to show the bloodied remains of three minke whales on board the ship as it sailed in the Southern Ocean. The group said it had information that a fourth whale had also been killed Photograph: Tim Watters/Sea Shepherd Australia/Reuters